Brigid O鈥橩eeffe, an assistant professor in the Department of History, has recently received the . She is one of four CUNY professors to receive the esteemed accolade this year. She will receive a plaque and $700. The annual award is considered to be the university鈥檚 most important for junior faculty members.
O鈥橩eeffe was 鈥減rofoundly honored鈥� when she got the news. 鈥淚 found out about the award just a few days before heading abroad for a research trip,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 boarded my flight to Europe with an extra dose of inspiration.鈥�
The scholar of Russian history is currently in Moscow working on a book that will bridge the late imperial and early Soviet periods of Russian history. Her first book, New Soviet Gypsies: Nationality, Performance, and Selfhood in the Early Soviet Union (University of Toronto Press), will be released this summer. Her research spans the social, cultural, and intellectual history of late imperial Russia and the Soviet Union.
O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 interest in Russian history and culture was sparked when she was a teenager growing up in Ohio. She began studying the Russian language and history as a college student and studied abroad in Moscow as an undergraduate. She so enjoyed the experience that she decided to pursue a career in Russian history. She earned a Ph.D. in European history and has traveled to Russia regularly for the past 13 years to study and conduct research. In addition to Moscow and St. Petersburg, O’Keeffe has conducted research in Smolensk, Krasnodar, Volgograd, and Orel.
David Troyansky, chairman of the history department, said the award was an 鈥渋ndication of the importance of her scholarship,鈥� noting that O鈥橩eeffe, who joined the faculty in 2009, is also a Whiting Fellow. 鈥淪he is equally accomplished as a scholar and a teacher, and she’s a wonderful colleague,鈥� Troyansky says.
