Barbara Jelavich
Encyclopedia
Barbara Jelavich was an American
professor of history at Indiana University
.
She was born (in Belleville
, Illinois
) as Barbara Brightfield and earned multiple degrees in history from the University of California
at Berkeley
. She received here A.B. honors degree in 1943, her M.A. in 1944, and her Ph.D in 1948. She married Charles Jelavich in 1944 and both engaged in multiple academic collaborations. They were jointly honored in 1992 with the AAASS Award for Distinguished Contributions to Slavic Studies.
After briefly teaching at Berkeley College
and Mills College
, Jelavich dedicated her time towards raising her two sons (Mark and Peter) while conducting further research in Balkan history and diplomatic history. In 1961, she and her husband went to the Department of History at Indiana University. In 1967, she was promoted to professor in the Department of History and in 1984 was named Distinguished Professor of History. She served as chairman of the Conference on Slavic and East European History in 1979 and also served as President of the Society for Romanian Studies from 1988 up until 1990. When Barbara and her husband retired in 1992, she was elected as an honorary member of the Romanian Academy
. During that same year, she was given the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies.
Jelavich’s works were concentrated on the diplomatic histories of the Russian and Habsburg
monarchies, the diplomacy of the Ottoman Empire
, and the history of the Balkans
(including nations such as Romania
and Greece
). Her most impressive accomplishment was the publication of the History of the Balkans in 1983. She intended to update this particular work in order to accommodate the major events that occurred in the Balkans in 1989. Her book Modern Austria appeared in 1994 in a Japanese
edition, and she collaborated on the third edition of the American Historical Association’s Guide to Historical Literature (published in 1995). She also wrote a piece on the international position of Romania in 1848 that reflected the standpoints of the Habsburgs, Ottomans, Russians, and southeastern Europeans. Romanian historian Cornelia Bodea acknowledged Jelavich as an internationally "respected ruler in her territorial waters".
In 1994, Barbara Jelavich was received into the Catholic Church. On January 14, 1995, she died in Bloomington
, Indiana
after a long struggle with cancer. She was buried in the Mission Cemetery in Santa Clara
, California
. A Barbara Jelavich Prize was established under the auspices of the AAASS in recognition of scholarship in 19th and 20th century southeastern European and Habsburg studies, as well as in Russian and Ottoman diplomatic history.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor of history at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
.
She was born (in Belleville
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) as Barbara Brightfield and earned multiple degrees in history from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. She received here A.B. honors degree in 1943, her M.A. in 1944, and her Ph.D in 1948. She married Charles Jelavich in 1944 and both engaged in multiple academic collaborations. They were jointly honored in 1992 with the AAASS Award for Distinguished Contributions to Slavic Studies.
After briefly teaching at Berkeley College
Berkeley College
Berkeley College is a proprietary higher education institution founded in 1931, specializing in business and professional studies.-Academic programs:...
and Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
, Jelavich dedicated her time towards raising her two sons (Mark and Peter) while conducting further research in Balkan history and diplomatic history. In 1961, she and her husband went to the Department of History at Indiana University. In 1967, she was promoted to professor in the Department of History and in 1984 was named Distinguished Professor of History. She served as chairman of the Conference on Slavic and East European History in 1979 and also served as President of the Society for Romanian Studies from 1988 up until 1990. When Barbara and her husband retired in 1992, she was elected as an honorary member of the Romanian Academy
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 acting members who are elected for life....
. During that same year, she was given the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies.
Jelavich’s works were concentrated on the diplomatic histories of the Russian and Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
monarchies, the diplomacy of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and the history of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
(including nations such as Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
). Her most impressive accomplishment was the publication of the History of the Balkans in 1983. She intended to update this particular work in order to accommodate the major events that occurred in the Balkans in 1989. Her book Modern Austria appeared in 1994 in a Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
edition, and she collaborated on the third edition of the American Historical Association’s Guide to Historical Literature (published in 1995). She also wrote a piece on the international position of Romania in 1848 that reflected the standpoints of the Habsburgs, Ottomans, Russians, and southeastern Europeans. Romanian historian Cornelia Bodea acknowledged Jelavich as an internationally "respected ruler in her territorial waters".
In 1994, Barbara Jelavich was received into the Catholic Church. On January 14, 1995, she died in Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
after a long struggle with cancer. She was buried in the Mission Cemetery in Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. A Barbara Jelavich Prize was established under the auspices of the AAASS in recognition of scholarship in 19th and 20th century southeastern European and Habsburg studies, as well as in Russian and Ottoman diplomatic history.
Published works
- 1964 - A Century of Russian Foreign Policy: 1814-1914 (J.B. Lippincott Company, New York)
- 1974 - Russia and the Rumanian National Cause (Cambridge University Press)
- 1983 - History of the Balkans: 18th and 19th Centuries (Cambridge University Press)
- 1983 - History of the Balkans: 20th Century (Cambridge University Press)
- 1984 - Russia and the Formation of the Romanian Empire (Cambridge University Press)
- 1987 - Modern Austria: Empire and Republic (Cambridge University Press)
- 1991 - Russia's Balkan Entanglements, 1806-1914 (Cambridge University Press)
Sources
- Michelson, Paul E. “Barbara Jelavich: 1923-1995”. Slavic Review, Vol. 54, No. 1, (Spring, 1995), pp. 258-259.