Staff Profiles
Professor Stella Ghervas
Professor of Russian History
- Email: stella.ghervas@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 2228
- Personal Website: http://www.ghervas.net/
- Address: School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Room 2.29 Armstrong Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
United Kingdom
I study Russian history and European history in an enlarged perspective, in time (from the Enlightenment to the present) and in space (including Eastern Europe and the Balkans). These interests and my approach to them arise from having lived in Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, France, Britain, and the United States, and spending much of my adult life in Switzerland.
I was educated originally at the University of St. Petersburg and I later earned two PhDs, in History (at the University of Bucharest) and in European Studies (at the University of Geneva). I have taught intellectual history, cultural and political history, and international relations at the University of Geneva, the University of Chicago, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Harvard University. I joined Newcastle University in May 2018 as Professor of Russian History.
My main interests are in Russia’s intellectual and maritime history and in the intellectual and international history of modern Europe, with special reference to the history of peace and peace-making. I welcome expressions of interest from postgraduate students working on any of these topics or on themes related to my past and current research.
- Visiting Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg, 2021–2022
- Visiting Professor, Harvard Summer School, 2015–
- Associate, Department of History, Harvard University, 2015–
- Mihaychuk Fellow, Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, 2016–2017
- Fellow, Durham Law School, 2015
- Honorary Fellow, Department of History, Durham University, 2015
- CriticAtac Prize (shortlisted), for Reinventarea traditiei: Alexandru Sturdza si Europa Sfintei Aliante, 2015
- Visiting Scholar, "Nation, Empire, Globe" Research Cluster, University of Sydney, 2014
- Visiting Scholar, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University, 2013–2015
- Senior Research Fellow, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, 2011–2013
- Visiting Associate Professor, University of Chicago, 2011
- Xenopol Prize, Romanian Academy, for Réinventer la Tradition: Alexandre Stourdza et l'Europe de la Sainte-Alliance, 2010
- Guizot Prize, Académie Française, for Réinventer la Tradition: Alexandre Stourdza et l'Europe de la Sainte-Alliance, 2009
- Grand Prix d'Histoire Chateaubriand (shortlisted), for Réinventer la Tradition: Alexandre Stourdza et l'Europe de la Sainte-Alliance, 2009
- Prize and Merit Diploma of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, for Réinventer la Tradition: Alexandre Stourdza et l'Europe de la Sainte-Alliance, 2009
- Fellow, Institut d'Etudes Avancées, Paris, 2009–2010
- Directeur d'études associée, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris, 2009
- Fellow, Institute for Slavic Studies, Academy of Sciences of Russia, Moscow, 2007
- Research Fellow, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, 2006–2007
- Associate Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Southeast European Studies, Bucharest, 2005–2010
- Visiting Scholar, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, 2005–2006
- Hermes Fellow, Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris, 2005–2006
- D.A. Sturdza History Prize, Cultural Foundation Magazin Istoric, for Alexandre Stourdza: Un intellectuel orthodoxe face à l'Occident, 1999
- Vladimir Lossky Prize, Department of Philosophy, University of St. Petersburg, 1992
Selected Research Grants
- Maritime Humanities Hub Initiative, HaSS Research Institutes Award, Newcastle University
- New-Federalism Project, European Research Council
- Mellon Foundation Fellowship, University of Chicago
- Fondation pour Genève
- Fondation Schmidheiny
- Fondation des Archives de la Famille Pictet
- Pro-Helvetia Foundation
Boards and Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS)
- Barbara Jelavich Book Prize Committee, Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, 2018–2020, Committee Chair
- Review Committee, Council for European Studies, 2014–
- Editorial Board, Questions Internationales, 2012–
- Editorial Board, Revista de Istorie a Moldovei, 2010–
- Centre International de Formation Européenne (CIFE), 2005–
- Steering Committee, Cercle des Amitiés Internationales, 2005–2015
- American Historical Association (AHA)
- Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES)
- Study Group on Eighteenth-Century Russia (SGECR)
- Southern Conference of Slavic Studies (SCSS)
- International Association for South-East European Studies (AESEE)
- Phi Alpha Theta Honour Society
- Founding Member, Forum Européen de Coppet
- Swiss Academic Network Mentoring–Femmes
For further details, please see my list of Publications, my personal website, my profile at academia.edu, and my Twitter account
My main work to date, Réinventer la tradition. Alexandre Stourdza et l’Europe de la Sainte-Alliance (Reinventing Tradition: Alexander Sturdza and Europe of the Holy Alliance) (Honoré Champion, 2008), depicts the crucial era when the Great Powers laid the foundations of the Concert of Europe that was to dominate much of international politics during the nineteenth century. It devotes particular attention to the diplomatic and intellectual milieu of the Congress of Vienna, as seen from Russia and Southeastern Europe. An English version is under contract with Cambridge University Press for publication as Enlightenment and Tradition in Post-Napoleonic Europe: The Worlds of Alexander Sturdza.
My latest book, Conquering Peace: From the Enlightenment to the European Union (Harvard University Press, 2021), covers five key moments of peace-building after major conflicts that redefined the political order of Europe: the Peace of Utrecht (1713); the Congress of Vienna (1814-15); the Treaty of Versailles (1919); the birth of the European communities in the 1950s; and the foundation of the European Union by the treaty of Maastricht, after the fall of Soviet Union. I also edited, with David Armitage, a collection on parallel themes, A Cultural History of Peace in the Age of Enlightenment, 1648-1815 (Bloomsbury Academic, 2020).
My next major project, Calming the Waters? A New History of the Black Sea, 1774-1920s, will treat the Black Sea as a privileged trading space and as a space for cultural interchange between Russia and Europe. It combines this approach with a broader historical analysis that takes into consideration the geopolitical stakes for the European powers—particularly the Eastern Question during the nineteenth century.
For further details, please see my list of Publications, my personal website, and my profile at academia.edu.
Office Hours, Semester 1
- Monday, 3 - 4pm
- Wednesday, 11am - 1pm
Office Hours, Semester 2
- Monday, 2 - 4pm
- Tuesday, 2 - 3pm
Undergraduate Teaching
- HIS1025 World Empires
- HIS1027 European History
- HIS1029 Varieties in History
- HIS2259 The Russian Empire from Peter the Great to Lenin (Module Leader)
- HIS3020 Writing History
- HIS3337 Russian Cities and Culture (Module Leader)
Postgraduate Teaching
- HIS8052 Conflict in European History (Module Leader)
- HIS8053 Conflict in European History (Module Leader)
- HIS8098 Research Skills and Dissertation Training
- QV31 MA Dissertations
- Ghervas S. "Europe" in the History of International Relations. In: Bukovansky, M; Keene, E; Spanu, M; Reus-Smit, C, ed. The Oxford Handbook of History and International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022. In Preparation.
- Ghervas S. Enlightenment and Tradition in Post-Napoleonic Europe: The Worlds of Alexander Sturdza. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. In Preparation.
- Ghervas S. Conquering Peace: From the Enlightenment to the European Union. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2021.
- Ghervas S, Armitage D, ed. A Cultural History of Peace in the Age of Enlightenment, 1648-1815. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020.
- Ghervas S. Definitions of Peace, 1815-1920. In: Sharp I, ed. A Cultural History of Peace in the Age of Empire, 1815-1920. London: Bloomsbury, 2020, pp.23-41.
- Ghervas S, Armitage D. Introduction: From Westphalia to Enlightened Peace, 1648-1815. In: Ghervas S; Armitage D, ed. A Cultural History of Peace in the Age of Enlightenment, 1648-1815. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020, pp.1-18.
- Ghervas S. From the Balance of Power to a Balance of Diplomacy? Peace and Security in the Vienna Settlement. In: de Graaf B; de Haan I; Vick B, ed. Securing Europe after Napoleon: 1815 and the New European Security Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019, pp.95-113.
- Ghervas S. In the Shadow of Utrecht: Perpetual Peace and International Order, 1713-1815. In: Soons AHA, ed. The 1713 Peace of Utrecht and its Enduring Effects. Leiden: Brill, 2019, pp.192-224.
- Ghervas S. Europe's Utopias of Peace: 1815, 1919, 1951 by Bo Stråth [Book review]. The Journal of Modern History 2018, 90(1), 173-175.
- Ghervas S. Ein Palimpsest für den Frieden: Die Heilige Allianz und das Ende des französischen Empire. In: Anselm Schubert and Wolfram Pyta, ed. Die Heilige Allianz. Entstehung - Wirkung - Rezeption. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2018, pp.61-78.
- Ghervas S. Le Lion peureux en quête de paix: L'Union européenne et sa phobie de la puissance. Questions Internationales 2018, 91-92, 129-135.
- Ghervas S. The Black Sea. In: David Armitage, Alison Bashford and Sujit Sivasundaram, ed. Oceanic Histories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, pp.234-266.
- Ghervas S. Balance of Power vs. Perpetual Peace: Paradigms of European Order from Utrecht to Vienna, 1713-1815. The International History Review 2017, 39(3), 404-425.
- Ghervas S. The Cowardly Lion in Quest of Peace: The EU and Its Fear of Power. In: Segers M; Albrecht Y, ed. Re:Thinking Europe. Thoughts on Europe: Past, Present and Future. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2016, pp.87-99.
- Ghervas S. A ‘Goodwill Ambassador’ in the Post-Napoleonic Era: Roxandra Edling-Sturdza on the European Scene. In: Glenda Sluga and Carolyn James, ed. Women, Diplomacy, and International Politics since 1500. London: Routledge, 2015, pp.151-166.
- Ghervas S. Congresul de la Viena și pacea europeană. Historia 2015.
- Ghervas S. Das Erbe des Wiener Kongresses und der Wert von Friedensstiftern. Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte (APuZ) 2015, 22-24, 15-20.
- Ghervas S. La Sainte-Alliance: un pacte pacifique européen comme antydote à l'Empire. In: Sylvie Aprile, Cristina Cassina, Phillipe Darriulat, Rene Leboutte, ed. Europe de papier. Projets européens au XIXe siècle. Lille: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, 2015, pp.47-64.
- Ghervas S. L'espace mer Noire: conquêtes et dominations, de l'Antiquité à nos jours. Questions Internationales 2015, 72, 14-25.
- Ghervas S. Philhellénisme et ambitions russes dans le contexte de la Question d'Orient. In: Anna Mandilara, Georgios Nikolaou, Lambros Filitouris and Nikolais Anastassopoulos, ed. Φιλελληνισμός. Το ενδιαφέρον για την Ελλάδα και τους Έλληνες από την Επανάσταση ως σήμερα [Philhellenism: Sympathy for Greece and the Greeks, from the Revolution to Our Days]. Athens: Herodotus, 2015, pp.739-764.
- Ghervas S. The Long Shadow of the Congress of Vienna: From International Peace to Domestic Disorders. Journal of Modern European History 2015, 15(4), 458-464.
- Ghervas S. Waterloo.Congrès de Vienne : la paix des forts. Courrier International 2015.
- Ghervas S. ‘L'Europe élargie’ d'après 1989: comment se réorienter dans la pensée?. Questions Internationales 2014, 68, 94-101.
- Ghervas S. Antidotes to Empire: From the Congress System to the European Union. In: Boyer JW; Molden B, ed. EUtROPEs. The Paradox of European Empire. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press, 2014, pp.49-81.
- Ghervas S. La paix par le droit, ciment de la civilisation en Europe? La perspective du siècle des Lumières. In: Antoine Lilti and Céline Spector, ed. Penser l'Europe au XVIIIe siècle: Commerce, Civilisation, Empire. Oxford, UK: Voltaire Foundation, 2014, pp.47-70.
- Ghervas S. Reinventarea tradiţiei: Alexandru Sturdza şi Europa Sfintei Alianţe. Chisinau: Cartier istoric, 2014.
- Ghervas S. Ten Lessons for Peace in Europe: From the Congress of Vienna and WWI, to the Failure of the G8. In: Dane F; Ryan GJ, ed. Multilateral Security Governance. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, 2014, pp.212-227.
- Ghervas S. The Congress of Vienna: A Peace for the Strong. History Today 2014, 64(9).
- Ghervas S, Armitage D. The Power of Peace: Why 1814 Might Matter More than 1914. 2014. Available at: http://www.e-ir.info/2014/04/07/the-power-of-peace-why-1814-might-matter-more-than-1914/.
- Ghervas S. Three Lessons of Peace: From the Congress of Vienna to the Ukraine Crisis. UN Chronicle 2014, 51(3), 9-11.
- Ghervas S, Jarrett M. Wie Frieden geschaffen wird - Der Wiener Kongress. Die Zeit 2014, 38.
- Ghervas S. Три урока мира: от Венского конгресса до кризиса в Украине. Хроника ООН 2014, 51(3), 9-11.
- Ghervas S. Le réseau épistolaire d'Alexandre et Roxandre Stourdza: une médiation triangulaire entre Occident, Russie et Sud-Est européen. Journal of South-East European Studies 2013, 51(1-4), 291-320.
- Ghervas S. L'Europe à la recherche de ses valeurs. In: C. Nigoul, ed. Entretiens autour de l'identité européenne (2006-2012). Nice: CIFE, 2013, pp.171-177.
- Ghervas S. La paix, toujours recommencée. 2012. Available at: http://www.laviedesidees.fr/La-paix-toujours-recommencee.html.
- Ghervas S. Les valeurs de l'Europe: entre l'idéal, le discours et la réalité. Rethinking Democracy 2012.
- Ghervas S. Peace perpetually reconsidered. Paris, 2012. Available at: http://www.booksandideas.net/Peace-perpetually-reconsidered.html.
- Ghervas S. L'Europe comme idée, comme projet, comme construction. Questions Internationales 2011, 51, 12-22.
- Ghervas S, Bayou C, ed. Regards de l’Est sur l’Union européenne. Paris: Regard sur l'Est, 2011.
- Ghervas S. Regards de l'Est sur l'Union européenne: du rêve de l'union parfaite à la vie en commun. Paris, 2011. Available at: http://www.regard-est.com/home/breve_contenu.php?id=1175.
- Ghervas S, ed. Европейские ценности: между идеалом, выступлением и реальностью (Democracy and European Values: Between Ideal, Speech-making, and Reality). Kiev, 2011.
- Ghervas S, Rosset F, ed. Mesta Evrope. Mitovi i granice [Places of Europe. Myths and Limits]. Belgrade: Biblioteka XX vek, 2010.
- Ghervas S, Rosset F, ed. Lieux d’Europe: Mythes et limites. Paris: Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008.
- Ghervas S. Réinventer la tradition: Alexandre Stourdza et l'Europe de la Sainte-Alliance. Paris: Honoré Champion, 2008.
- Ghervas S. Avant-propos. In: Stella Ghervas and F. Rosset, ed. Lieux d’Europe: Mythes et limites. Paris: Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008.
- Ghervas S, Sigrist R. La mémoire européenne à l'heure du "paradigme victimaire". In: Stella Ghervas and F. Rosset, ed. Lieux d’Europe: Mythes et limites. Paris: Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008, pp.215-243.
- Ghervas S. Le philhellénisme russe : union d’amour ou d’intérêt?. In: Cléopâtre Montandon, ed. Regards sur le philhellénisme. Geneva: Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations, 2008, pp.33-41.
- Ghervas S. Odessa et les confins de l’Europe: Un éclairage historique. In: Stella Ghervas and F. Rosset, ed. Lieux d'Europe: Mythes et limites. Paris: Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008, pp.107-124.
- Ghervas S. Pôles et foyers. In: Stella Ghervas and F. Rosset, ed. Lieux d’Europe: Mythes et limites. Paris: Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008.
- Ghervas S. Territoires et frontières. In: Stella Ghervas and F. Rosset, ed. Lieux d’Europe: Mythes et limites. Paris: Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008.
- Ghervas S, Franceschetti A. Les "vertus politiques" des eaux thermales: Capodistrias à Ems (1826). Bulletin de la Société Francophone d'Histoire de l'Ophtalmologie 2007, 18, 16-24.
- Ghervas S. Les bergers genevois du tsar. Lettre de Penthes 2007, 10.
- Ghervas S. Voyage au pays des mystiques : une aristocrate russe dans les cours allemandes de la Restauration. In: Nicolas Bourguinat and Sylvain Venayre, ed. Voyager en Europe de Humboldt à Stendhal (1790-1840). Paris: Nouveau Monde éditions, 2007, pp.385-412.
- Ghervas S. Les Moldaves, le passeport roumain et l'Europe: incompréhensions sur fond de misère. Paris, 2006. Available at: http://www.regard-est.com/home/breve_contenu.php?id=684.
- Ghervas S. Les valeurs du projet de Constitution peuvent-elles fonder un imaginaire européen ?. Cahiers de l’Echinox 2006, 10, 41-50.
- Ghervas S, Franceschetti A. Spas' Political Virtues : Capodistria at Ems (1826). Analecta Histórico Médica 2006, 4, 79-85.
- Ghervas S, Herrmann I. Anna Eynard-Lullin (1793-1868). In: E. Deuber Ziegler and N. Tikhonov, ed. Les femmes dans la mémoire de Genève. Geneva: Suzanne Hurter, 2005.
- Ghervas S. La réinvention de l'identité moldave après 1989. Paris, 2005. Available at: http://www.regard-est.com/home/breve_contenu.php?id=367.
- Ghervas S. Le philhellénisme d’inspiration conservatrice en Europe et en Russie. In: Peuples, Etats et nations dans le Sud-Est de l’Europe. Bucharest: Anima, 2004, pp.98-110.
- Ghervas S, Guindani S, ed. Penser l’Europe. Quarante ans d’études européennes à Genève. Geneva: IEUG, 2003.
- Ghervas S. Institut européen de Genève: quarante ans de prospective. In: Stella Ghervas and S. Guindani, ed. Penser l’Europe. Quarante ans d’études européennes à Genève. Geneva: IEUG, 2003, pp.9-19. In Preparation.
- Ghervas S, Guindani S. L’Europe sous la loupe des étudiants. In: Stella Ghervas and S. Guindani, ed. Penser l’Europe. Quarante ans d’études européennes à Genève. Geneva: IEUG, 2003, pp.111-133.
- Ghervas S. Manuscrits russes dans la Bibliotheca Bodmeriana. Corona Nova 2003, 2, 101-126.
- Ghervas S. Alexandre Stourdza: une vision géopolitique du monde orthodoxe. In: Paul H. Stahl, ed. Omagiu. Virgil Cândea la 75 de ani. Bucharest: Ed. Academiei Române / Ed. Roza Vânturilor, 2002, pp.315-321.
- Ghervas S. La réception de L'Esprit des lois en Russie: histoire de quelques ambiguïtés. In: Michel Porret and Catherine Volpilhac-Auger, ed. Le Temps de Montesquieu. Geneva: Droz, 2002, pp.391-404.
- Ghervas S. Alexandru Sturza ou la quête de l’espace orthodoxe. Bulletin de l’Association internationale d’études du Sud-Est européen 2001, 31, 53-60.
- Ghervas S. Alexandre Stourdza sur la scène européenne: autopsie d'un échec. Revue Roumaine d'Histoire 2000, 39(1-4), 107-148.
- Ghervas S. Alexandre Stourdza (1791-1854): Un intellectuel orthodoxe face à l'Occident. Geneva: Suzanne Hurter, 1999.
- Ghervas S. Review of Yuri M. Lotman, Bessedy o russkoj kul'ture: Byt i tradicii russkogo dvorjanstva, XVIII-nacalo XIX veka (St. Petersburg: Iskusstvo-SPB, 1994). Revue des études sud-est européennes 1996, 34(1-2), 187-188.
- Ghervas S, Turcanu F. Review of I.V. Churkina ed., Revoljucii i reformy na Balkanah [Revolutions and Reforms in the Balkans] (Moscow: Nauka, 1994). Revue des études sud-est européennes 1995, 33(1-2), 209-210.