History of EURUS

The Institute began as an Inter-Disciplinary Committee on Soviet and Eastern European Studies founded in 1962 at Carleton. The committee was a premier interdisciplinary academic research hub about the Soviet Union, hosting lecture series with top scholars in the field. Faculty also appeared frequently on CBC television and radio broadcasts as consultants about Soviet and Eastern European affairs. In 1971, the Institute of Soviet and East-European Studies (ISEES) was formally founded at Carleton as a separate department with an area studies MA program that still exists in the present. The foundation of ISEES coincided with the relaxing Cold War tensions between East and West in the 1970s, a period labeled “The Detente” by historians. Under the direction of Carl McMillan, the Institute launched several innovative projects which focused on collaborating with academics and professionals from the Eastern Bloc in this period. These exchanges fostered important connections between the Institute to research institutes and universities in in the region that exist to this day.

As the Cold War thawed and the Soviet Union underwent a series of dramatic reforms in the 1980s, the Institute thrived as an important Canadian research hub. Under the administration of Larry Black, ISEES expanded its Russian language program by hiring expert linguists from the USSR. Additionally, graduate students at the Institute undertook exchanges to Leningrad State University (now St. Petersburg State University), building important connections and partnerships between East and West. Joan DeBardeleben, a prominent scholar in the field of Russian and Eurasian Politics, joined the Institute. As the Soviet Union dissolved, the media again turned to faculty members at ISEES as consultants to explain the complicated turn of events which were unfolding.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the Institute faced a number of setbacks as Russian and East European area studies fell out of relevance. This trend affected many other former Soviet Studies departments across Western Europe and North America. From 1996-2003, ISEES was administered under the Norman Paterson School for International Affairs and its Russian program was absorbed in Carleton’s language school. In 1999, the Institute sought to rebrand itself to reflect the growing scholar interest in the post-Soviet transitions, East-Central Europe’s post-Socialist transitions, and the European Union’s growing importance on the world stage. At this point, we regained administrative independence and became the Institute of European and Russian Studies.

The 2000s saw the expansion of the institute both in size and in scope. In 2003, the Centre for European Studies was founded by Joan DeBardeleben. This EURUS-affiliated research centre received funding from both the EU and Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). It would later be designated an “EU Centre of Excellence” by the European Commission. Today, it continues to foster interdisciplinary research on the EU’s role in the wider world. Three scholars of contemporary Europe joined the Institute in this period of expansion. They include James Casteel, a historian of modern Germany and Russia; Crina Viju, a specialist in European economic integration; and Achim Hurrelmann, a political scientist focusing on EU integration discourse.

Considering the growing importance of Central Asia and the Caucasus in the 21st century, the Institute expanded its curriculum to include courses focusing on these regions and hired Jeff Sahadeo, a historian and specialist in Central Eurasia and the Caucasus. As the Institute continued to grow, we received generous external funding from the Kinross Gold Corporation and the Magna Corporation, which enabled both EURUS BA and MA students to pursue language exchanges and research trips abroad. Carl McMillan made a personal donation to establish the Pushkin Fund, creating the position of the outreach and development coordinator as well as the Institute’s first post-doctoral fellowship. In this period, EURUS also partnered with Carleton and the federal government, opening doors to students wishing to pursue co-operative education in the public sector.

After 2010, the Institute continued to expand, fostering innovative research supported by the EU’s Erasmus+ Program. Joan DeBardeleben and Achim Hurrelmann were both awarded Jean Monnet Chairships for their studies of European politics. Considering the growing importance of contemporary Russia, the Institute created the McMillan Chair of Russian Studies in 2021 and hired Paul Goode, a specialist in the study of Russian nationalism, as the inaugural chair. Following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Institute launched a number of research initiatives such as the War Observatory and a conference on refugees and conflict displacement. Under the direction of Crina Viju-Miljusevic, EURUS continues to be a leader in the field of European and Russian area studies, encouraging innovative faculty and student research.

EURUS by decade: 1962 – 2022

1962-1972

In 1962, the Inter-disciplinary Committee on Soviet and East European Studies is founded at Carleton. A BA (Honours) degree in Soviet and East European Studies is initiated. The Committee is variously chaired in the following decade by Professors Adam Bromke (Political Science), John Strong (History), and Philip Uren (Geography). During the 1960s it sponsors a series of evening public lectures by leading North American Slavists. Carleton experts give a series of lectures on CBC radio on Soviet topics which are broadcast across the country. Members of the Committee are also at the forefront of organizing a graduate student and faculty exchange with Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University). This is the first such exchange in Canada and later the only one to escape cancellation over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; the exchange still exists today.

In 1971, the Institute of Soviet and East European Studies (ISEES) is created as a separate university unit. Professor Bohdan Bociurkiw (Political Science) is appointed to head the new institute and launch an MA program. The Institute is housed in Paterson Hall. Professor Philip Uren (Geography) is appointed ISEES director for a three-year term. The East-West Project (EWP) is founded as the Institute’s first organized research unit. It supports a variety of research and training projects dealing with the Soviet Union, Russia and Eastern Europe through the 1990s.

1972-1982

In 1973, Philip Uren resigns as ISEES director to become director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) and Carleton International. Professor Teresa Rakowska-Harmstone (Political Science) agrees to step in as director for the remainder of his term.

1975 Carl McMillan is appointed director and serves in the position until 1981. In 1977 Donna Harper is appointed Institute administrator; she remains in that capacity for the next twenty years.

Professor Larry Black (History) is appointed director in 1981; Carl McMillan agrees to remain until end of year to accommodate Black’s sabbatical plans.

1982-1992

Larry Black serves as director from 1982-1990, with Professors John Strong (History) and Carter Elwood (History) stepping in as acting directors at various times. The Institute thrives in the period of Perestroika, which generates great media attention.

Professor Carl Jacobsen (Political Science) is appointed ISEES director in 1990.

In 1991, Professor Joan DeBardeleben, a political scientist, joins Carleton as the first professor formally appointed (100%) to the Institute. The Soviet Union collapses.

1992-2002

In 1992, after Jacobsen‘s resignation, Joan DeBardeleben becomes director, a position she holds until 2003. The Institute is renamed Institute of Central/East European and Russian Area Studies (CERAS) and the name of the BA Honours degree is likewise changed to Central/East European and Russian Area Studies. An internship component is added to the MA program in 1993 which allows students to be placed in various government and non-governmental positions in Ottawa. From 1995 to 1997 Carl McMillan returns to serve as director of CERAS during Joan DeBardeleben’s sabbatical.

In 1996, The Russian Department at Carleton closed, along with other modern languages units; language instruction is now provided through the School of Linguistics and Language Studies (SLALS). The Institute loses its administrator position and is jointly administered with NPSIA for the next years, although remaining an independent academic unit with its own degree programs. Joan DeBardeleben returns as director and in 1999 the Institute expands its scope to include the entire European continent.

The Institute is renamed the Institute of European and Russian Studies (EURUS).

In 2000, the EURUS housed research unit The Centre for European Studies (CES) is created.

In 2001, EURUS introduces the Diploma in European Integration Studies.

2002-2012

Professor Piotr Dutkiewicz (Political Science) is appointed EURUS director in 2003, a position he holds until 2008. Professor Jeff Sahadeo, a historian, becomes the second professor appointed to EURUS (50/50 cross-appointed with Political Science). The Institute is again assigned its own administrator, a post filled by Ginette Lafleur; at this point the administrative link to NSPIA is discontinued. However, NPSIA and EURUS continue to share a joint Resource Centre until 2012. The Institute moves to Dunton Tower.

From 2006-2007 Joan DeBardeleben serves as director during Piotr Dutkiewicz’s sabbatical. The Centre for European Studies is designated an EU Centre of Excellence (EUCE) by the European Commission and receives funding to support outreach, research, students grants, and visiting European scholars.

In 2007 the MA program is expanded to include all of Europe. The Institute is renamed Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS), to reflect the growing importance of the Caucasus and Central Asia.

From 2008-2009 Professor Andrea Chandler (Political Science) serves as EURUS director.

Professor Crina Viju, an economist, becomes the third professor formally appointed to EURUS (100%) in 2009. Joan DeBardeleben serves as acting director of the Institute from July until the end of the year. In 2010, Jeff Sahadeo becomes EURUS director at the beginning of the winter term. Professor James Casteel, a historian, is appointed to EURUS (appointment shared with College of the Humanities).

In 2011, the Magna Corporation donates $450,000 to establish the Magna Fund for Russian Studies, overseen by Piotr Dutkiewicz. The fund supports student research on Russia, as well as Russian language training. Former director Carl McMillan makes a personal donation to establish the Pushkin Fund, which is used to create the part-time position of an Outreach and Development Coordinator and, from 2015, the position of a Postdoctoral Fellow. The Institute is awarded its first Jean Monnet Chair by the EU’s Lifelong Learning Program (2011-2014), focussing on the EU’s relations with its eastern neighbours (Joan DeBardeleben).

2012-2022

EURUS begins to offer a co-operative education program at the BA and MA levels, allowing for paid semester-long employment in external organizations (primarily the federal government). The Institute moves into the new River Building (later renamed Richcraft Hall).

In 2014, Professor Achim Hurrelmann (Political Science) becomes EURUS director. Professor Martin Geiger, a geographer, is appointed to EURUS (50/50 cross-appointment with Political Science).

After Ginette Lafleur’s retirement in 2015, Krysia Kotarba becomes EURUS administrator. Carleton launches the Bachelor of Global and International Studies (BGINS), with a specialization in “Europe and Russia in the World” administered by EURUS. The Institute is awarded a second Jean Monnet Chair (2015-2018), focusing on EU democracy (Achim Hurrelmann).

In 2016, The Centre for European Studies receives funding as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence from the EU’s Erasmus+ Programme (2016-1019). Based on this funding, along with other EU grants, CES continues to support EURUS through student grants and employment, lectures and conferences, and European visiting professors.

The Kinross Gold Corporation donates $100,000 in 2017 to establish the Kinross Gold Fund for Russian Studies, managed by Piotr Dutkiewicz. The Fund supports student research on Russia, as well as Russian language training. CES is awarded a grant from the EU’s Erasmus+ Programme (2017-2020) to establish a Jean Monnet Network on Canada-EU-Relations with four European partner institutions.

In 2018, Jeff Sahadeo becomes EURUS director for his second term.

The McMillan Chair began as a result of discussions between Carl McMillan, Carleton University Advancement and Achim Hurrelmann in 2017. With matching funds as part of a Carleton University campaign and thanks to Carl McMillan’s generosity, in January 2019, with the added work of director Jeff Sahadeo, EURUS was granted a position in Russian Politics and Society at the Associate Professor level, designed to attract a well-established expert. The search began in Fall 2019; although disrupted by the covid-19 pandemic, EURUS was delighted to hire Paul Goode, then senior lecturer at the University of Bath.

In July 2019, James Casteel became a full-time faculty member in the Faculty of Public Affairs (50% EURUS, 50% BGInS).

March 2020, EURUS and all other programs at Carleton are forced to go online as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic reaching Canada. The EURUS MA cohort of 2020 is the first cohort to complete its entire first year of MA classes entirely online. Classes remain online until fall semester 2021 when the University once again opens its doors offering both in-person and online classes as part of its new hybrid system.

Crina Viju-Miljusevic becomes the new director of EURUS in July 2021.

2022 marks 50 years of the now Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University.

EURUSInstitute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies

EURUS by decade: 1962 – 2022

EURUS Directors