معرفی
Benjamin T. Smith is Professor of Latin American History at the University of Warwick, where he has served since 2013, having previously held positions as Reader (2016-2019) and Associate Professor (2013-2016) before his promotion to full Professor in 2019. Prior to Warwick, he was Assistant/Associate Professor of Mexican History at Michigan State University (2005-2012). He earned his PhD in History from Cambridge University in 2006.
Smith specializes in twentieth-century Mexican political history, with particular expertise in grassroots politics, the drug trade, journalism, censorship, and civil society. His research spans from nineteenth-century indigenous politics in Oaxaca to contemporary issues of organized crime and drug trafficking. He has developed a distinctive approach that examines how ordinary people, market women, village strongmen, and journalists have shaped Mexican political development.
His research demonstrates significant evolution from early work on post-revolutionary Oaxaca and Mexican conservatism to his current focus on the history of the drug trade. His publications reveal a consistent interest in how marginalized groups interact with state power, whether examining peasant movements, Catholic communities, or drug traffickers. His most notable recent work, "The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade" (2021), challenges common narratives about Mexican drug trafficking and has received significant media attention.
Smith has received the LASA Howard Cline Award for "The Mexican Press and Civil Society, 1940–1976" and was nominated for an Edgar True Crime Award for "The Dope." He maintains an active research agenda with numerous recent publications examining the historical roots of contemporary drug policy challenges.
As an advisor and expert witness, Smith provides reports for Mexican refugees in the UK and US through Rights in Exile. He is also a member of the Noria: Mexico and Central America research program and works with literary agent Janklow & Nesbitt. His expertise is frequently sought by media outlets worldwide for commentary on Mexican politics and drug policy.
