Melissa Bokovoy

Melissa Bokovoy is a Professor and former Department Chair of History at the University of New Mexico, holding the title of Regents’ Lecturer in Arts and Sciences. She specializes in Balkan history, focusing on memory, peasant societies, and 20th-century Yugoslav political dynamics. Her research examines how Yugoslav populations interacted with state-building processes under various regimes.

Education: B.A. in History from Pomona College; M.A. and Ph.D. in East European History from Indiana University. Awards include the Barbara Jelavich Prize (1999), UNM’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year (2010-2011), and Regents’ Lecturer designation (2001-2004). She has led major projects like the NEH-funded 'How do Societies Remember' course and the Career Diversity Pilot Program for historians.

Key research projects include analysis of interwar Serbian commemoration practices, Kosovo autonomy (1974-1990), and comparative agricultural collectivization studies. Her work bridges archival research with interdisciplinary approaches, emphasizing gender and memory studies. She has held leadership roles in professional organizations, including past presidency of the Association for Women in Slavic Studies.