Maria Bucur
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Maria Bucur (born 2 September 1968 in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, Romania) is an American-Romanian historian of modern Eastern Europe and gender in the twentieth century. She has written on the history of
eugenics Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...
in Eastern Europe, memory and war in twentieth-century Romania, gender and modernism, and gender and citizenship. She teaches history and gender studies at
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...
, where she holds the John W. Hill Professorship. Between 2011 and 2014 she served as founding Associate Dean of the School of Global and International Studies and helped inaugurate the first SGIS graduating class in 2014.


Education and professional biography

After attending
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
as an undergraduate in the School of Foreign Service (1987–91) and spending a year at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London (1989–90), she obtained graduate degrees (MA and PhD) in history from the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
(1996). There she worked under the guidance of
Keith Hitchins Keith Arnold Hitchins (April 2, 1931 – November 1, 2020) was an American historian and a professor of Eastern European history at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in Romania and its history. Early life and education ...
and Sonya Michel. She has been working at Indiana University, Bloomington, since 1996, where she holds the John W. Hill Chair in East European History. Since 2016 she has also been a professor of Gender Studies. At Indiana University she served as Chair of Gender Studies (2008–09), Director of the Russian and East European Institute (2006–07 and 2009–11), Co-Director of the European Union Center for Excellence (2006–07), and founding Associate Dean of the School of Global and International Studies (2011–14). She has worked for several publications: Associate editor of ''
The American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association, for which it is an official publication. It targets readers interested in all period ...
'' (2003–06), co-editor for the '' Aspasia Yearbook of Gender and Women's History'' (2005–12), board member for '' Gender & History,
Journal of Women's History The ''Journal of Women's History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1989 covering women's history. It explores multiple perspectives of feminism rather than promoting a single unifying form. Articles published in this ...

Archiva MoldaviaeCogent Arts and Humanities
'' and
Integru.org
'. She has served as President of the Association for Women in Slavic Studies (2009–11), as Coordinator of the Gender and Women's History Network for the European Social Science History Conference (2006–10), and as Chair of the Committee on Women Historians for the American Historical Association (2014–16). In addition, she has served on the General Council as well as the History Committee of the National Council for Accreditation of University Titles, Diplomas, and Certificates, Ministry of Education and Research, Romania (2016–18).


Research and publications

Bucur has published eight volumes, three of them as a single author, and the rest as co-author or editor. Her first monograph,
Eugenics and Modernization in Interwar Romania
' (2002), examined the intellectual debates and policy-making activities of a group of doctors, lawyers, biologists, anthropologists, and politicians who used eugenicist ideas to propel Romanian society and institutions to a level of modernization in social engineering akin to attempts made in Germany and other West European states during the same period. Her second monograph,
Heroes and Victims: Remembering War in Twentieth-Century Romania
' (2009), offered a close examination of various forms of remembering and commemorating the two world wars from 1918 onwards, with a focus on the tensions between grassroots and individual efforts (autobiographical writing, funerary monuments, commemorative plaques) and state-initiated commemorations (military cemeteries, official remembrance day commemorations, films). With a focus on the different meanings embodied in these various efforts, Bucur illuminates the important role played by such contestations in shaping the meaning of heroism, patriotism, and self-sacrifice along gender, regional, and ethno-religious lines. More recently, she has published
Gendering Modernism: A Historical Reappraisal of the Canon
' (2017), which asks readers to reconsider the revolutionary aspects of modernism from the perspective gender norms. In 2018, she published two books.
The Century of Women: How Women Have Transformed the World Since 1900
' was a bold overview of recent history from a feminist humanist perspective, placing women's historical empowerment at the heart of understanding recent changes in politics, economics, demography, culture, and knowledge making. Karen Offen, of
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, called it a book that "should find a place on every intelligent person's reading list." With the political philosopher Mihaela Miroiu, Bucur published ''Birth of Democratic Citizenship: Women in Modern Romania'' in November 2018 with Indiana University Press. Her latest book is ''The Nation's Gratitude: War and Citizenship in Romania after World War I'', published with Routledge in 2022. In addition to these monographs and other co-edited volumes, she has published over seventy articles and chapters in a variety of outlets, including ''
The American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association, for which it is an official publication. It targets readers interested in all period ...
,'' ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'', ''
Project Syndicate ''Project Syndicate'' is an international nonprofit media organization that publishes and syndicates commentary and analysis on a variety of global topics. All opinion pieces are published on the ''Project Syndicate'' website, and also distribu ...
'' and ''Public Seminar''. She has had dozens of media appearances and interviews in the press, from the ''History Channel'' to ''Al-Jazeera''.


Romanian studies

A passionate promoter of culture and history from her native country, Bucur has helped organize eleven conferences on Romanian Studies (2007–2017) at Indiana University. Together with her colleagu
Christina Zarifopol-Illias
she worked to establish the first Romanian Studies graduate fellowship in the United States at Indiana University. She has worked with various partners in Romania. At
Babeș-Bolyai University The Babeș-Bolyai University ( , , commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Established in 1581 as Academia Claudiopolitana, it underwent several reorganizations over the centuries, eventually taking ...
in
Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
, together with a team of scholars from Indiana University and the
Central European University Central European University (CEU; , ) is a private research university in Vienna. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in the social sciences and humanities, which are accredited in Austria and the United States. The univ ...
, she helped launch the Oral History Center in 1997. She has worked with colleagues at the
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
on several research and publication projects, and also taught several graduate workshops. She has collaborated with
Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...
in
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
and th
Aspera
foundation on two oral history workshops. In addition to these academic events, she has worked with artists and musicians to promote visibility for Romanian culture.


Awards and honors

Bucur is the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, among them two
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
research grants, a research fellowship from the
Woodrow Wilson Center The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank dedicated to research and policy discussions on global issues. Established by an act of Congress in 1968, it serves as both ...
in Washington, DC, and a fellowship from the
American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...
. In May 2018 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
in Bucharest, Romania.


Books

* ''The Nation's Gratitude: War and Citizenship in Romania after World War I.'' London:
Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
, 2022 * ''Birth of Democratic Citizenship: Women in Modern Romania'', with Mihaela Miroiu. Bloomington:
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
, 2018. * ''The Century of Women: How Women Have Transformed the World Since 1900''. Lanham:
Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...
, 2018. * ''The Global West: Connections and Identities'', with Frank Kindner, Ralph Mathisen, Sally McKee, and Theodore R. Weeks, 3rd rev. ed. Boston: Cengage, 2017. * ''Gendering Modernism: A Historical Reappraisal of the Canon''. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. * ''Making Europe.The Story of the West.'' Co-author with Frank Kidner, et al. 2nd rev. ed. Belmont, CA: Cengage, 2012. * ''Heroes and Victims: Remembering War in Twentieth-Century Romania''. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2009. * ''Gender and War in Twentieth Century Eastern Europe''. Co-editor with Nancy M. Wingfield. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006. * ''Eugenics and Modernization in Interwar Romania''. Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh University Press, 2002; translated into Romanian as ''Eugenie și modernizare în România interbelică'' (Iași: Polirom, 2005). * ''Patriarhat și emancipare în istoria gîndirii politice românești''. Co-editor with Mihaela Miroiu. Iași, Polirom, 2002. * ''Staging the Past: The Politics of Commemoration in Habsburg Central Europe,1848 to the Present''. Co-editor with Nancy Wingfield. La Fayette, IN:
Purdue University Press Purdue University Press, founded in 1960, is a university press affiliated with Purdue University and overseen by Purdue University Libraries. Purdue University Press is currently a member of both the Association of University Presses, to which i ...
, 2001.


References


External links


Maria Bucur's Faculty Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bucur, Maria 1968 births Living people Writers from Bucharest 20th-century Romanian historians 21st-century Romanian historians Romanian emigrants to the United States Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Indiana University Bloomington faculty