Maria Fedorova

Maria Fedorova serves as Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at Macalester College, teaching cross-listed courses in the History Department and Food, Agriculture, and Society concentration. Her expertise bridges Russian/Soviet historical studies with global agricultural technology transfer.

She earned her MA in History from Washington State University as a Fulbright Fellow, followed by a PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Fedorova's research centers on transnational knowledge circulation between Russia/Soviet Union and the world during the twentieth century, with particular focus on agricultural technology exchange. Her forthcoming book Seeds of Exchange: Soviets, Americans, and Cooperation in Agriculture, 1921-1935 (Northern Illinois University Press, August 2025) examines how ideological differences were overcome through agricultural cooperation amid post-WWI food insecurity, documenting Soviet experts traveling across U.S. farmlands and Americans working in Soviet steppes.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent thematic concentration on 1920s U.S.-Soviet agricultural technology transfer, American humanitarian aid to Soviet Russia, and seeds as technological artifacts. These works span agricultural history, history of technology, and transnational history with emphasis on food politics and international cooperation.

Her scholarly contributions have been recognized through:

• Fulbright Fellowship for graduate studies
• Wallin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Russian and Modern European History

At Macalester, Dr. Fedorova advises undergraduate students in Russian Studies and History while developing interdisciplinary curricula that connect historical agricultural practices with contemporary food systems. Her research program continues to be supported by prestigious academic fellowships, enabling deep archival work on transnational agricultural networks.