Bio

Benjamin John Diehl is a PhD Candidate in Modern European History and Mario Capelloni Dissertation Fellow at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). He teaches Modern History, among other subjects, in his capacity as Adjunct Lecturer at Marist College, having previously taught at SUNY  New Paltz, and CUNY City College and Baruch College. His academic interests include Modern Germany, intellectual and cultural history, political leadership and charisma, fascism and masculinity, Europe's Age of Catastrophe, the history of psychology and other human sciences, and political propaganda. Before entering his doctoral studies, Benjamin studied European History, Politics, and Society (MA) at Columbia University's European Institute, and International Relations (BA) at the College at Geneseo, State University of New York (SUNY). 

Outside of the academy, Benjamin has worked as a tutor for high school and college students, helping students work on college admissions (SAT/ACT, college essays, etc.) and assisting with subjects across the humanities, such as History, English, Government, German, and French. In addition to his work in education, Benjamin is also an experienced researcher, assisting in research projects for high profile academics at CUNY as well as major publishing companies. In 2021, he was a primary researcher for New York Times best-selling authors Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch, contributing research assistance for their latest book, The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. Benjamin reads German and French fluently, with strong speaking and writing abilities in both. 

Born and raised in Sayville, New York, Benjamin is the descendant of German immigrants who came to the United States in the late 1920s. Always attached to his heritage, he has sustained an interest in understanding the forces that drove his ancestors away from their home country. He is also a longtime believer in public education and its merits for an educational system which promotes diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity, and is deeply impassioned by teaching and encouraging students to find stories across history with which they can resonate. An avid hiker, Benjamin loves forests and mountains, foods from across the world, and the music which helps make each day brighter.