معرفی
Sean Griffin is an Associate Professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on the intersection of Eastern Christianity, political power, and cultural memory in Russia and Ukraine. Griffin holds a PhD from UCLA and has been supported by fellowships such as the VolkswagenStiftung and ACLS-Luce Foundation grants.
Education:
- PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
- MA, University of California, Los Angeles
- BA, Pepperdine University
Research Interests: Griffin examines how liturgical traditions and church history shape political narratives, particularly in Putin's Russia. His work bridges medieval religious texts with modern cinema and propaganda, analyzing themes like sacralized nationalism and memory politics. Recent projects address Russia's invasion of Ukraine through the lens of sacred history.
Publications & Awards: Griffin’s book The Liturgical Past in Byzantium and Early Rus won the W. Bruce Lincoln and Ecclesiastical History Society Book Prizes. His forthcoming work Putin’s Holy War explores the religious dimensions of contemporary conflicts. Notable articles analyze cinema (Zviagintsev's Leviathan) and historical memory in Russian state ideology.
Teaching & Service: Teaches interdisciplinary courses on Eastern Europe’s religion, culture, and politics. Serves as a mentor in the Russian language program. His academic journey was influenced by his personal conversion to Orthodoxy as a young adult.
