Research

Jeffrey Herf had an essay published in The Routledge History of Antisemitism. This book contains 40 essay by scholars on the subject; Herf's essay is the 28th chapter of the book. You can access the book HERE.

Jim Gilbert has just published his sixth novel, a legal thriller titled The Legacy. The story is set in Chicago where Jim was born. Learn more about the book HERE.

Mikhail Dolbilov’s monograph, Life of a Novel Being Created: From the Avantexte toward the Context of Anna Karenina (“Zhizn' tvorimogo romana: Ot avanteksta k kontekstu ‘Anny Kareninoi’”), has been published by the Moscow publishing house New Literary Observer (Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie).

Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel is justifiably associated with a massive swath of Russian social, political, intellectual, and cultural life in the aftermath of Alexander's transformative reforms. Combining historical approaches and literary genetic criticism, the book historicizes Anna Karenina by demonstrating how its long writing and serialization (1873–77) were affected by, and, in turn, exerted their own influence on, diverse events of the time. Most thoroughly discussed are such societal developments as shifts in gender relations in aristocratic society, emerging new forms of emotionality, the spread of religious revivalism in Russian Orthodoxy, and the rise of politically charged Russian Pan-Slavism.

Madeline Hsu celebrated the publication of Cambridge History of Global Migrations, Volume 2: Migrations, 1800–Present. She co-edited the volume, published by Cambridge University Press, with Marcelo J. Borges. See more information on the publisher's website HERE.

Piotr Kosicki had published an article in the October 4, 2023 issue of The Atlantic. The article is titled  "Ukraine Is Losing Eastern European Allies."  Piotr discusses what Slovakia's recent elections and Poland's ongoing anti-migrant memory politics mean for Ukraine. Access the article HERE.

Jonathan W. White (PhD, 2008  Advisor: Herman Belz) had his new book, Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade, reviewed in the New York Times on August 1, 2023. The book tells the story of Appleton Oaksmith, a Civil War sea captain with shifting political alliances. The reviewers write that "The astonishing stories in Shipwrecked ... [offer] a fresh perspective on the mess of pitched emotions and politics in a nation at war over slavery." The publisher has a 30% book launch discount for the next two weeks with the code RLSHPWRK23 on their site. The full New York Times review is available HERE and the publisher's website is available HERE. 

Piotr Kosicki published a new article in Foreign Affairs magazine titled "Don't Give Poland a Pass: Warsaw's Support for Ukraine Should Not Obscure Its Assault on Democracy at Home". The article addresses the state of democracy in Poland as they have been growing increasingly illiberal in recent years. These issues concerning freedom and liberty in a democratic nation are significant to examine especially with Poland's parliamentary expected to be held in Fall 2023. Kosicki argues that the United States should take up a more present and guiding position for the Polish government. Read the full article HERE.

The Russian and Kazakh-language translation of Sarah Cameron's book, The Hungry Steppe: Famine, Violence, and the Making of Soviet Kazakhstan (Cornell UP, 2018) were reissued in honor of Kazakhstan's Famine Remembrance Day on May 31, 2023. The book continues to be widely read in the region: this marks the second printing of the book in the Russian language and the third in the Kazakh-language. While in Almaty, Sarah held a Q&A about the book and signed books. 

The May 2023 issue of Commonweal magazine includes Piotr Kosicki's new article about the weaponization of historical memory of Pope John Paul II (and the suppression of research into his ties of clerical abuse) in Poland. The digital version is available HERE. 

Piotr Kosicki published a new article in The Atlantic titled "Poland Is Not Ready to Accept a New McCarthyism." The article explores the significance of a June 4, 2023 march celebrating the 34th anniversary of the 1989 elections that led Poland to abjure communism. Piotr argues that the march was also a protest against the current autocratic Polish government. Read the article HERE.