An article authored by Dr. Russell Martin, Westminster College associate professor of history, was published in the summer 2010 issue of Slavic Review, the official publication of the Association for Slavic, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies (ASEES).

Martin's piece, "The Petrine Divide and the Periodization of Early Modern Russian History," was one of a set of four articles written by historians on the general problem of periodization of Russian history. Each author explored a different aspect of the question of when the early modern period in Russia begins and ends.

Martins' article argued that the period from 1500-1800 was a single, coherent period, which posed the question of what to do about Peter the Great, whose revolutionary reign falls in the middle of this period. "If he was truly the revolutionary, how can we talk about him being in the middle of a period that lasts well beyond his reign?" Martin asked.

"I argue that Peter, though important for introducing major reforms and redirecting Russia's culture toward the West more than any ruler before him, did little to change the fundamental political culture, which I further argue was founded on kinship, politics, and the marriage of the ruler," Martin explained. "Peter's reign, while important, became subordinated to a larger structural process that ran through his reign and only changed decades, or even a century, after his death."

"Furthermore, I argue that the periodization of Russian history-particularly the early modern period-mirrors and matches the generally recognized periods in Western (i.e., European) history," Martin added. "In this article, I return to a theme I've developed in other publications and in my classes: Russia is part of the West, even sharing, I believe, the same stages of state development and cultural change."

Martin, who has been with Westminster since 1996, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Martin appeared on A&E Biography in a broadcast on Ivan the Terrible as an expert on the controversial ruler. He is the co-founder of the Muscovite Biographical Database, a Russian-American computerized register based in Moscow of early modern Russian notables. The Neville Island, Pa., native is not only fluent in Russian, but also reads Old Church Slavonic/Russian, French, German, Latin, and Polish.

Martin continues to translate from Russian to English the official Webpage of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, the heiress to the vacant Russian throne. Translations are available at www.imperialhouse.ru. In 2008, Martin was awarded the Order of St. Anna (with the rank of Knight Companion) by the grand duchess for his work on behalf of the House of Romanov.

Contact Martin at (724) 946-6254 or e-mail martinre@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr. Russell Martin