Professor Raanan Rein is a historian of modern Spain and modern Latin America, with an emphasis on the Southern Cone. He joined the University of Florida in August 2025 after teaching for many years at Tel Aviv University, Israel. At UF he also holds the Alexander Grass Chair in Jewish Studies.
Rein is the author and editor of more than fifty books and well over a hundred and fifty articles in academic journals and book chapters, in several languages. He is a member of Argentina's National Academy of History, and former President of the Latin American Jewish Studies Association (LAJSA). The Argentine government awarded him the title of Commander in the Order of the Liberator San Martin for his contribution to Argentine culture. The Spanish King awarded him the title of Commander in the Order of the Civil Merit. In 2016 he won the Reimar Lüst Award (co-sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation). Rein received Honorary Doctorates from the Universidad de Buenos Aires and the Universidad Nacional San Martín. In March 2017, the City of Buenos Aires declared him as a Guest of Honor.
Areas of Research
Modern Latin America, populist movements, Argentine society and politics, Jews in the Spanish speaking world, ethnic minorities in Latin America, immigration and collective identities, 20th century Spain.
Dr. Rein teaches courses in the History Department and in Jewish Studies and welcomes applications from prospective Ph.D. candidates.