Russell Zguta

Russell Zguta (born October 3, 1949) is a U.S. historian, educator, and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri.^[1]

Early life and education

Zguta is a native of Ukraine. Born Jaroslav Zguta, he was given the name "Russell" upon his enrollment in first grade; it was deemed more American.^{[citation needed]}

He received his bachelor's degrees in history from Saint Francis University in 1964, and his masters (1965) and doctorate (1967) from Pennsylvania State University.^[1]

Career

Zguta's research has focused on the medieval and Early Modern cultural history of the East Slavs^[1] (today's Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians).

In 1979, Choice magazine included his book Russian Minstrels: A History of the Skomorokhi (1978) in its Outstanding Academic Books list for that year. His other publications include "Witchcraft Trials in Seventeenth-Century Russia" in The American Historical Review (1977); "The One-Day Votive Church: A Religious Response to the Black Death in Early Russia" in Slavic Review (1981); and the "Monastic Medicine in Kievan Rus' and Early Muscovy" chapter in Medieval Russian Culture (1984).^[1][2]

While at the University of Missouri, Zguta chaired multiple departments: History (1989-1991 and 2010-2013), Economics (1991-1995), and Romance Literature (2005-2008).^[1] In 1990, he received the university's Purple Chalk Award (where the winner is chosen by a student vote) "for exemplary teaching and advising".^[3]

In October 2016, the Central Slavic Conference, a regional affiliate of ASEEES, presented Zguta with its presidential award for "his lifetime of support of the Central Slavic Conference and untiring promotion of Slavic studies".^[4]

Articles

• Zguta, Russell. “Skomorokhi: The Russian Minstrel-Entertainers.” Slavic Review 31, no. 2 (1972): 297–313.
• Zguta, Russell. “Witchcraft Trials in Seventeenth-Century Russia.” The American Historical Review 82, no. 5 (1977): 1187–1207.