Ryan Reft | Library of Congress (original) (raw)

I am a historian of Modern America in the Library of Congress' Manuscript Division and sometimes write for KCET, Los Angeles, where I focus on Southern California history. I was co-editor of the blog Tropics of Meta from 2009 - 2016 Since 2017 I have been co-editor of the Urban History Association's blog, The Metropole (2017-Present).

My dissertation examined the integration of military families and housing into Sunbelt metropolitan communities with a particular focus on the difference between the conscripted era and all volunteer force.

In general, outside of work I focus on urban history with an emphasis on Southern California, however, at my job, I focus on 20th century domestic politics/policies with an emphasis on SCOTUS/Fed Courts, journalism, Congress, and LGBTQ+. I was lead curator on the Library of Congress' World War I exhibit, Echoes of the Great War and co-authored guides to the Manuscript Division's collections pertaining to non-SCOTUS federal judges and Watergate. I have published widely on the LC's blogging platforms, for blogs external to the Library, numerous journals and anthologies as well as publications such as the Washington Post.

In 2020, along with Romeo Guzman, Carribean Fragoza, and Alex Sayf Cummings, I co-edited the East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte available at Rutgers University Press.

In 2023, along with Amanda Phillips de Lucas and Rebecca Retzlaff, I co-edited, Justice and the Interstates: The Racist Truth about Urban Highways, with Island Press: https://islandpress.org/books/justice-and-interstates.

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