Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern
Encyclopedia
Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern (born in 1962 in Kiev
, in the Ukrainian SSR
of the Soviet Union
) is a historian
, philologist and essayist, noted in particular for his studies of the institution of Cantonism, his critique
of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
's controversial two volume-work about Jews in Russia, Two Hundred Years Together
, as well as translations of Jorge Luis Borges
' works into Russian
. He teaches Early Modern, Modern and East European Jewish history
and Culture
at Northwestern University
.
He was born in Kiev in 1962 to the family of Miron Petrovsky, a noted Ukrainian philologist. He studied art and music early on, and for some time sang in the Shchedryk
children's choir.
He holds a Ph.D.
in Comparative Literature
from Moscow University and a Ph.D. in Jewish history from Brandeis University
. He has been a Rothschild Fellow at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a Sensibar Visiting Professor at Spertus College in Chicago
, a Visiting Scholar at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
, a Research Fellow
at The National Endowment for the Humanities
, in Poland
, and a Fulbright Scholar at Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Kiev
.
s as "Jews in the Russian Army, 1827-1917: Drafted into Modernity" (Cambridge University Press, 2009) and "The Anti-Imperial Choice: the Making of the Ukrainian Jew" (Yale University Press
, 2009).
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, in the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) is a historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, philologist and essayist, noted in particular for his studies of the institution of Cantonism, his critique
Critique
Critique is a method of disciplined, systematic analysis of a written or oral discourse. Critique is commonly understood as fault finding and negative judgement, but it can also involve merit recognition, and in the philosophical tradition it also means a methodical practice of doubt...
of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
's controversial two volume-work about Jews in Russia, Two Hundred Years Together
Two Hundred Years Together
"Two hundred years together" is a 2-volume historical essay by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.Solzhenitsyn published this two-volume work on the history of Russian-Jewish relations in 2001 and 2002. The book stirred controversy and is viewed by many historians as unreliable in both factual data and...
, as well as translations of Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
' works into Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. He teaches Early Modern, Modern and East European Jewish history
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
and Culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.
He was born in Kiev in 1962 to the family of Miron Petrovsky, a noted Ukrainian philologist. He studied art and music early on, and for some time sang in the Shchedryk
Shchedryk (choir)
Shchedryk is the oldest running professional children's choir in Kiev, Ukraine. It was directed by the choral conductor Irina Sablina until her retirement, after which her daughter Maria Sablina replaced her in 2004....
children's choir.
He holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
from Moscow University and a Ph.D. in Jewish history from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. He has been a Rothschild Fellow at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a Sensibar Visiting Professor at Spertus College in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, a Visiting Scholar at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
, a Research Fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
at The National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and a Fulbright Scholar at Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
Publications
Among his publications are more than 50 scholarly articles and such monographMonograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s as "Jews in the Russian Army, 1827-1917: Drafted into Modernity" (Cambridge University Press, 2009) and "The Anti-Imperial Choice: the Making of the Ukrainian Jew" (Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
, 2009).
External links
- Interview with Petrovsky-Shtern on "New Books in History"
- On the Orange RevolutionOrange RevolutionThe Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
in Ukraine- http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20051/22 - On Jewish military service- 2008 YIVO encyclopedia http://www.yivoinstitute.org/downloads/Military_Service.pdf
- On social aspects of Hasidism- http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/jewish_social_studies/v010/10.2petrovsky-shtern.html
- The engimatic manuscript of an unknown Jewish kabbalist- http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FAJS%2FAJS28_02%2FS0364009404000157a.pdf&code=8d4dd0700d43ce62e5fb4dfe7e2a40f0
- Theodore Weeks review of "Drafted into Modernity"- http://pipss.org/pdf/2313