Valerie Sperling

Valerie Sperling is a Professor of Political Science at Clark University, specializing in Russian politics and gender studies. Her research explores political legitimacy, authoritarian regimes, and gendered dimensions of political leadership.

• Ph.D. in Political Science, University of California, Berkeley (1997)
• M.A. in Political Science, UC Berkeley (1992)
• M.A. in Russian Area Studies, Georgetown University (1991)
• B.A. in Political Science, Yale University (1987)

Her scholarly work bridges Russian politics, gender theory, and social activism. Recent publications analyze political masculinities during the pandemic, Russia’s conservative turn, and transnational activist networks. She has been published in East European Politics and Societies, Post-Soviet Affairs, and the International Journal of Human Rights.

Notable awards include the ASEEES Davis Center Book Prize and the AWSS Heldt Prize for her monograph Sex, Politics, and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia (2015). She has also secured grants from the Research Council of Norway and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.