David Ellwood is Senior Adjunct Professor of European and Eurasian Studies at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Europe.
Since 2020, Professor Ellwood has been a Fellow at Einaudi Foundation in Turin, Italy. Formerly he was associate professor of contemporary international history at the University of Bologna (until November 2012). Ellwood has served as president of the International Association for Media and History (1996-2002). At SAIS he teaches the course ‘Soft Power and Global Politics.’ His first major book was Italy 1943-1945: The Politics of Liberation (1985), followed by Rebuilding Europe: Western Europe, America and Postwar Reconstruction (1992). The fundamental theme of his research—the function of American power in contemporary European history—has shifted over the years to emphasize cultural power, hence two edited books on the theme Hollywood in Europe (Florence 1991, Amsterdam 1995). His large-scale work on America and the politics of modernization in Europe was published by Oxford University Press in July 2012 as The Shock of America. Europe and the Challenge of the Century (2nd edition, 2016). David Ellwood is a frequent contributor of articles and reviews to academic journals, policy forums and news outlets. He received a PhD in Italian studies from the University of Reading.