OXANA SHEVEL

Oxana Shevel is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University and Director of the International Relations Program. Her research focuses on nationalism, citizenship, identity, and memory politics in the post-Soviet region, with particular emphasis on Ukraine and Russia.

Shevel earned her PhD in Government from Harvard University, an M.Phil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in English and French from Kyiv State University. Her academic journey reflects a commitment to understanding the complexities of post-communist transitions and the development of national identities in Eastern Europe.

She is the co-author (with Maria Popova) of Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States (Polity, 2024), which examines the historical roots of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Her earlier book, Migration, Refugee Policy, and State Building in Postcommunist Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2011), received the American Association for Ukrainian Studies Book Prize. Her scholarly contributions have been published in journals such as Comparative Politics, Slavic Review, and East European Politics and Societies, and she regularly comments on Ukrainian politics in the media.

Beyond her academic roles, Shevel is actively involved in professional organizations. She serves as Vice President of the Association for the Study of Nationalities and President-Elect of the American Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies. She previoulsy served as the President and Vice President of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies. Shevel is also a country expert on Ukraine for the EU Global Citizenship Observatory (GLOBALCIT), a member of the PONARS Eurasia scholarly network, and an associate of the Davis Center and the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.

Her work has significantly contributed to the understanding of state-building processes, identity formation, and the dynamics of post-Soviet transitions, making her a leading voice in the field of comparative politics and Eastern European studies.