Bio
I grew up in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, as part of the Russian-Ukrainian
minority in the majority Muslim population. That diverse borderlands experience shaped
my interest in languages and religions. Thus when I was admitted into Moscow State
Lomonosov University in 1996, I chose to study Byzantine literature and Greek language
as my major to better understand the culture of the Balkans and the Near East where
the earliest Christian-Muslim interactions developed. Driven by my passion for study
abroad, in 2001, I passed English and German proficiency tests eventually selecting
to pursue a Ph.D. degree in the US. In 2008, after 6 years of coursework and overseas
archival research I defended my dissertation at the University of Minnesota titled
"Containing Balkan Nationalism: Imperial Russia and Ottoman Christians (1856-1912)."
I am fascinated by the interplay of ethnic and religious components in cultural identities
as well as their role in motivating political action.
I teach a variety of European and world history courses including "History of the
Islamic World", Early and Modern Western Civilization.
Courses Taught:
- EARLY WORLD CIVILIZ TO 1500 - HIST 2713 - Fall 2020
- MODERN WESTERN CIVILIZATION - HIST 1213 - Fall 2020
- MODERN WESTERN CIVILIZATION - HIST 1213 - Fall 2020
- HISTORY OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD - HIST 4313 - Fall 2020
- MODERN WESTERN CIVILIZATION - HIST 1213 - Summer 2020
