Zhanna Popova

Zhanna Popova is a Research Fellow at Central European University, affiliated with the Department of Historical Studies and Department of Gender Studies. She contributes to the ZARAH project on women's labor activism (ERC Advanced Grant), with prior work at the International Institute of Social History (Amsterdam) on Russian/Soviet penal practices (NWO-funded).

• Undergraduate: History, Moscow State University (2011)
• MA: Social Sciences, École normale supérieure (2013)
• PhD: History, University of Amsterdam (2019)

Her research bridges social history, labor history, and penal studies, focusing on Russia/Eastern Europe and transnational labor dynamics. Recent work examines gendered experiences in carceral labor and labor inspector roles in interwar Poland.

Her publications address coerced labor systems, exiles, and forced migrations from imperial Russia to the Soviet era. Key themes include state violence, labor governance, and the intersection of gender and power.

Her work is supported by prestigious grants, including the ERC Advanced Grant for the ZARAH project and NWO funding during her PhD.