June 4, 2015
Contact: Shelley Hymes- 202-364-3438
Shelley@angelenterprisesdc.com
Svetlana Alexeeva +7 (812) 713-82-40
salekseeva@hse.ru
Richard Stites Memorial Library Opens in St. Petersburg
The National Research University - Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg will hold the
opening of the Richard Stites Memorial Library on June 4 at 4.00 pm. It is a symbolic event of
international cooperation in the sphere of culture and scholarship, emphasizing Richard Stites’ legacy,
who always strove to bridge the gap between American, Russian, and European historiographies and
who did so much to promote a wider European comparative perspective in Russian history. The
opening of the Richard Stites memorial library in St. Petersburg Campus of the Higher School of
Economics was made possible by the generous donation of the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and
History at American University in Washington, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington,
D.C. and the Department of North America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian
Federation.
Susan Carmel Lehrman, Founder and Chair of the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History, was
glad to be involved. “The Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History is dedicated to promoting
greater cultural relations between Russia and the United States, with a particular focus on students and
younger generations. The generous bequest from the Richard Stites’ library certainly furthers these
efforts, and I am pleased that students from both countries will have access to this unique library
collection.”
The library contains more than 1,500 volumes on History, Social Sciences, and Humanities, English
translations of the works of Russian philosophers, historians, and publicists. About a third of the total
number of volumes in the collection is dedicated to the history and culture of the United States and
European countries
According to Eric Lohr, a presenter at the opening ceremony, Professor and Susan Carmel Lehrman
Chair of Russian History and Culture, American University, “Richard Stites was a pathbreaking scholar
at the intersection of the fields of history and culture, and his love of the full gamut of Russian culture
was infectious. We are so pleased that his extensive collection of English-language scholarly studies in
both fields will be available to students and scholars in St. Petersburg, bringing American scholarly
appreciation of Russian history and culture back to Russia.”
"When Richard Stites' son Andrei approached the Carmel Institute with his father's unique library as a
bequest, we gladly agreed," said the Director of the Carmel Institute Dr. Anton Fedyashin. "It is
symbolic of Richard Stites' profound love for Russia that his unique collection is now available to
students and specialists both in the US and Russia. We would like to thank Susan Carmel Lehrman and
the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington for their support of greater cultural exchange
between
Russia
and
the
US.”
Richard Stites (1931-2010) was an American historian of Russia. His books on Soviet popular culture
and the women’s movement in Russia set new standards in the field of Russian studies. The works by
Richard Stites not only opened new perspectives on Russian history but also made significant
contributions to the development of comparative global and European history by demonstrating the
place and role of Russia in the world and European history.
The opening ceremony will open with a welcome address by the Acting Consul General of the USA in
St. Petersburg Ms. Courtney Nemroff, and will be accompanied by the research seminar "Cosmopolitan
Historiography of Russian History and Culture: the Workshop Dedicated to the Opening of the
Richard Stites Memorial Library". The workshop will feature presentations by the following speakers
from Russia and USA:
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

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Eric Lohr, Professor and Susan Carmel Lehrman Chair of Russian History and Culture, Department of
History, American University;
Prof. Alexander Semyonov (Associate Director for Research, National Research University-Higher
School of Economics in St. Petersburg)
Ronald Suny, Charles Tilly Collegiate Professor of Social and Political History, University of Michigan;
Head of the International Research Project “Comparative Historical Studies of Empire and
Nationalism”, HSE in Saint-Petersburg;
Boris Kolonitsky, First Vice-Rector, Professor, Department of History, European University at St.
Petersburg;
Catherine Evtuhov, Professor, Department of History, Georgetown University;
The program of the opening of the Richard Stites memorial library can be found at
http://spb.hse.ru/en/sci/announcements/150028810.html