Harriman Institute
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The Harriman Institute, the first academic center in the United States devoted to the interdisciplinary study of
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, was founded at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1946, with the support of the
Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...
, as the Russian Institute.


History

The goals of the new regional institute, as stated in the proposal to the Rockefeller Foundation, were viewed to be twofold: “First, the direct advancement of knowledge in the Russian field through the coordinated research work of faculty and students; and secondly, the training of these students… as American specialists who will subsequently do work of authority and influence in the Russian field.” Although the Institute’s geographical purview has grown to encompass the
post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
and the
post-socialist Postsocialism is the academic study of states after the fall or decline of socialism, especially in Eastern Europe and Asia. The "socialism" in postsocialism is not based on a Marxist conception of socialism but rather, especially in the Eastern Eu ...
Eastern European states, the Institute has remained true to its overall objectives of teaching and research. In 1982, the Russian Institute became the W. Averell Harriman Institute for the Advanced Study of the Soviet Union, in recognition both of Governor Harriman’s generous endowment of the Institute and his lifetime of distinguished service. As Governor Harriman stated in the announcement of the establishment of the Harriman Institute: “My objective is very clear: I want to stimulate and encourage the advanced study of Soviet affairs. To base policy on ignorance and illusion is very dangerous. Policy should be based on knowledge and understanding.” In 1992, following the collapse of the USSR, the Institute officially expanded its focus to encompass all the states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and adopted the name of the Harriman Institute. In 1997, the Harriman and East Central European Institutes united to promote comparative scholarly knowledge and public understanding of the complex and changing polities, economies, societies, and cultures of the area between
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
.


Mission

The Harriman Institute strives to facilitate the effective use of the unique resources it possesses to further the work of the diverse community of scholars in residence, students and the more than 60 faculty members who make up the Harriman Institute faculty. Taken together, the library collections of Columbia and the New York Public Library constitute the single largest concentration of Russian-language materials in the country.


Directors

Past directors of the Harriman Institute Include: * Geroid T. Robinson, 1946–51 * Philip E. Mosely, 1951–55 * Henry L. Roberts, 1956–62 *
Alexander Dallin Alexander Davidovich Dallin (21 May 1924 – 22 July 2000) was an American historian, political scientist, and international relations scholar at Columbia University, where he was the Adlai Stevenson Professor of International Relations and the d ...
, 1962–67 *
Marshall D. Shulman Marshall Darrow Shulman (1916 - June 21, 2007) was an American diplomat, scholar of Soviet studies and the founding director of Harriman Institute, W. Averell Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of the Soviet Union at Columbia University. Born i ...
, 1967–74, ’76–77, ’81–86 * William E. Harkins, 1974–76, ‘80–81 * Robert L. Belknap, 1977–80 * Robert Legvold, 1986–92 * Richard E. Ericson, 1992–95 * Mark L. von Hagen, 1995–2001 * Catharine Theimer Nepomnyashchy, 2001–2009 (on leave 2006–07) *
Jack L. Snyder Jack Lewis Snyder (born February 6, 1951) is an American political scientist who is the Robert A. Belfer, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, specializing in theories of international relations. ...
(Acting Director), 2006–07 * Timothy M. Frye, 2009-2015 (on leave 2012–13) * Kimberly J. Marten (Acting Director), 2012–13 *
Alexander Cooley Alexander A. Cooley is an American political scientist. He is Claire Tow Professor at Barnard College. He served as the 15th director of the Harriman Institute of Columbia University and is currently the Vice Provost for Research, Libraries and A ...
, 2015–2021 * Valentina Izmirlieva, 2022–


See also

*
Marshall D. Shulman Marshall Darrow Shulman (1916 - June 21, 2007) was an American diplomat, scholar of Soviet studies and the founding director of Harriman Institute, W. Averell Harriman Institute for Advanced Study of the Soviet Union at Columbia University. Born i ...
* John N. Hazard


References


External links

* * {{coord, 40.80774, -73.95972, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Columbia University 1946 establishments in New York City Research institutes in New York (state) Research institutes established in 1946