Barbara Jelavich

Barbara Jelavich (April 12, 1923 – January 14, 1995) was an American historian and writer. A prominent scholar in the field of Eastern European history, she specifically focused on the diplomatic histories of the Russian and Habsburg monarchies, the diplomacy of the Ottoman Empire, and the history of the Balkans.

She began her academic career as a junior research historian at UC Berkeley Institute of Slavic Studies after obtaining three history degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1961, she joined the faculty at Indiana University as a lecturer before becoming a full professor in the history department in 1967. Her tenure at Indiana University continued until her retirement in 1993, she received the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History in recognition of her exceptional scholarly achievement.

She made substantial contributions to scholarly literature, co-authoring or authoring 17 books that delved into the histories of Russia, the Balkans, and the Ottoman and Habsburg empires. Collaborating with her husband, Charles, who was also a history professor emeritus at Indiana, several of her works were co-authored. Her areas of expertise encompassed Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Yugoslavia.

Biography Barbara Brightfield was born in Belleville, Illinois, April 12, 1923. She earned three degrees in history from the University of California at Berkeley: an A.B. honors degree in 1943, an M.A. in 1944, and a Ph.D. in 1948. In 1944, she married Croatian-American Charles Jelavich (1922–2013), one of America's foremost Balkan, Habsburg, and South Slavic specialists; both engaged in multiple academic collaborations. They were jointly honored in 1992 with the AAASS Award for Distinguished Contributions to Slavic Studies. During that same year, she was given the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for Women in Slavic Studies. Romanian historian Cornelia Bodea acknowledged Jelavich as an internationally "respected ruler in her territorial waters". in recognition of scholarship in 19th and 20th century southeastern European and Habsburg studies, as well as in Russian and Ottoman diplomatic history.

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