Laura Engelstein

Laura Engelstein is an American historian who specializes in Russian and European history. She serves as Henry S. McNeil Professor Emerita of Russian History at Yale University and taught at Cornell University and Princeton University.

Education Engelstein studied in Moscow from 1973 to 1974, completing a stazhirovka.

Teaching career and publications Following graduation, she accepted a position at Cornell University, the second woman to be hired by the history department there. In 2000, she co-edited an essay collection with Stephanie Sandler, Self and Story in Russian History.

Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History described Engelstein as one of "the most important figures in the field of Russian history" with an "incisive mind" and "analytical acuity," adding that she had "played a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of the complex interplay of social, cultural, intellectual, and political forces in the late imperial period."