Nancy Shields Kollmann (born 1950), also known simply as Nancy Kollmann, is an American historian. Since 2004 she has been the William H. Bonsall Professor in History at
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 ...
. She is known for her works on the
history of Russia
The history of Russia begins with the histories of the East Slavs. The traditional start date of specifically Russian history is the establishment of the Rus' people, Rus' state in the north in the year 862, ruled by Varangians. In 882, Prin ...
.
Work
One of Kollmann's works, ''The Russian Empire 1450–1801,'' (2017) reveals how Imperial Russia’s regions were conquered and how this empire state was governed. She describes both the
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia, also known as the Tsardom of Moscow, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of tsar by Ivan the Terrible, Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great in 1721.
...
and
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
as characterized by a 'politics of difference': the rulers and affiliated elites defined the state’s needs minimally (asserting control over defense, taxes, mobilization of resources, and criminal laws) and otherwise tolerated regional religions, mores, languages, local elites and institutions. Imperial Russia's political core related to the Empire's communities and religions "vertically", giving each various rights and autonomies but disallowing “horizontal” connections across ethnic, linguistic, religious, confessional, or any other groups that could potentially identify and assert a common interest that could potentially threaten central state control.
Reception
Writing in journal ''
Reviews in History'',
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
historian Orel Beilinson states that ''The Russian Empire, 1450–1801'' offers a comprehensive and authoritative survey of early modern Russia, emphasizing continuity over change and highlighting the concept of "rule by difference" in the empire's expansion. Beilinson believes the book meticulously examines the geographical, political, social, and economic factors that contributed to Muscovy's rise and its transformation into an empire, drawing comparisons with other global powers. While its thematic structure may not be ideal for introductory courses, Beilinson deems this book an "invaluable" resource for advanced students and scholars of Russian history, offering a wealth of insights.
Awards
* Frances Richardson Keller-Sierra Prize for "Crime and Punishment", Western Association for Women Historians (2013)
Works
Books
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*
** Translated into Russian as ''Соединённые честью. Государство и общество в России раннего нового времени'', Древлехранилище, 2001.
*
** Translated into Russian as ''Преступление и наказание в России раннего Нового времени'',
Новое литературное обозрение, 2016.
*
** Translated into Russian as ''Россия и еë империя. 1450–1801'', Academic Studies Press, 2022.
Co-authored works
*
* Samuel Baron and Nancy Shields Kollmann, eds., ''Religion and Culture in Early Modern Russia and Ukraine''. DeKalb: Northern Illinois Press, 1997.
* Kollmann, Nancy Shields. "Society and Identity." In ''Modernizing Muscovy: Reform and Social Change in Seventeenth Century Russia'', ed. Jarmo Kotilaine & Marshall Poe. (London: Routledge, 2004) pp. 417–431.
Journal articles (selection)
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kollmann, Nancy
Living people
21st-century American historians
Stanford University faculty
Stanford University Department of History faculty
1950 births
American women historians
Middlebury College alumni
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Historians of Russia
Historians of Kievan Rus'