معرفی
Heather Coleman is a Professor and Chair of the History, Classics, & Religion Department at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on the intersection of religion and modernization in 19th and 20th century Russia and Ukraine, particularly examining the role of Orthodox clergy as cultural brokers in Kyiv province. She has authored influential books such as Russian Baptists and Spiritual Revolution, 1905-1929 and edited volumes including Sacred Stories: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Russia. Her current SSHRC-funded project, “Holy Kyiv: Priests, Communities, and Nationality in Imperial Russia,” explores ethno-religious diversity in Kyiv and its impact on Russian and Ukrainian identities.
Dr. Coleman has held leadership roles, including Editor of Canadian Slavonic Papers (2011-2020) and Director of the Program on Religion and Culture at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. She teaches courses on Russian history, European modernity, and religion, and actively mentors graduate students in Eastern European history.
Her awards include an honorable mention for the Wallace K. Ferguson Prize. Key research themes include: religious dissent, imperial borderland dynamics, and the cultural history of Orthodoxy. She has published widely on clergy attitudes toward nationalism, Jewish communities, and the evolving role of the Orthodox Church in multiethnic regions.
Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary debates, emphasizing the interplay between faith, identity, and political power. Recent publications analyze clerical diaries, regional identity formation, and transnational religious networks.
