Deirdre Ruscitti Harshman

Deirdre Ruscitti Harshman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Christopher Newport University. Her research focuses on modern Russian history, with specializations in urban spaces, gender studies, and the social dynamics of the revolutionary period (1890-1935).

• Ph.D. in History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• M.A. in History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• B.A. in History and English Writing, University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Harshman’s work examines how everyday domestic spaces like kitchens, flophouses, and landlord-tenant relationships shaped Soviet modernization. Her current book project, The Unruly Everyday: Managing Housing, Home, and the Russian City, 1890-1935, explores the home as a site of revolutionary governance. She also serves as the Book Review Editor for The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review.

Her recent publications analyze themes such as Soviet communal living, architectural utopianism, and the intersection of gender and domestic policies. Articles in her Google Scholar profile (2016–2024) reflect her expertise in urban history, socialist ideology, and the material culture of everyday life.