Vera Shevzov

Vera Shevzov is the Barbara Richmond 1940 Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Religion at Smith University. She contributes to the Program in Russian, East European Studies, and the Program in Medieval Studies, teaching courses like Eastern Christianity and The Russian Icon: Culture, Politics, and the Sacred.

• Education: Ph.D. and M.Phil. from Yale University, B.A. in Religion from Yale.

Her research explores religion’s role in collective identities, historical memory, secularism, and the interplay between visual culture and Orthodox traditions. She examines how icons, rituals, and theological debates shaped Russian identity across imperial, revolutionary, and post-Soviet eras.

Recent publications focus on post-Soviet religious revival, Orthodox canon law, and the political use of Marian imagery. She has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation.

• Scientific Awards: Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize (2004).

Shevzov’s work bridges historical analysis and contemporary cultural conflicts, addressing themes of belonging, tradition, and modernization in Russian Orthodoxy.