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Mari Firkatian

Mari Firkatian headshot

Department Chair, Humanities; Professor of History; Secretary of the Faculty Senate

Humanities

Hillyer College
Hillyer Hall 322
Education

PhD in History, Indiana University 1991

MA in Slavic Language and Literatures, Indiana University 1984

BA in Russian Language, University of Connecticut 1982

BA in French Language, University of Connecticut 1982

BA Diplôme Supérieure D’études Français, Université de Rouen, France 1980

Mari Firkatian is a professor of history. She teaches Western Civilization I, Western Civilization II, Global History I, Global History II, Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire, Food and Culture of Rome, Diplomats and Dreamers, Imperial Russian History, and Modern European History.

When asked why she enjoys teaching Hillyer students, Firkatian said, "because it can be fun to teach in such a way that their curiosity about the past is aroused and their passion for understanding it stimulated."

Her research interests include:

  • Minority/majority politics and power relationships in Bulgaria
  • The politics of food culture
  • Diaspora studies
  • Gender history
  • Nationalism

Note: This faculty member will be on sabbatical for Fall 2024 & Spring 2025. During a sabbatical, faculty may not be available to support students or conduct other University business. 

Дипломати Мечтатели Патриоти Българя и Европа През Погледа на Семеиство Станчови [Diplomats, Dreamers, Patriots: Bulgaria and Europe through the Gaze of the Stancioff Family.] Sofia: Paradigma, 2009.

Diplomats and Dreamers: The Stancioff Family in Bulgarian History, Lanham: University Press of America, 2008.

The Forest Traveler: Georgi Stoikov Rakovski and Bulgarian Nationalism, New York:  Peter Lang Publishing, 1996.

“Nationalism, Patriotism, and ‘Our Ancestral Altars’: Soorp Astvadzadzin Church in Sofia A tale of birth, death, and resurrection” for inclusion in Armenians in Post-Communist Europe edited by K. Siekierski & S. Troebst 2013 by Boehlau Verlag Vienna, as a part of the series Armenians in Eastern Europe

  • National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar 2014
  • Fulbright Scholar, Bulgaria 2011
  • Sabbatical Year Leave, 2008-2009
  • Women’s Education and Leadership Fund Grant 2008-2009
  • Women’s Education and Leadership Fund Grant 2007-2008
  • University of Hartford International Center Grant 2007
  • University of Hartford Coffin Grant 2004
  • University of Hartford Greenberg Jr. Faculty Research Grant 2002-2003
  • University of Hartford International Center Grant 2002
  • Yale University, Visiting Faculty Fellow 1999-2000
  • Yale University, Visiting Faculty Fellow 1998-1999
  • International Research and Exchanges Board, (IREX) Travel Grant for Research in Bulgaria 1995
  • Wilson Center East European Junior Scholar Training Program 1991
  • Research Fellow, University of Illinois 1987
  • Research Grant, Sofia University in Bulgaria, Indiana University 1985
  • National Research Fellowship, U.S. Government Title VIII Russian Language & Culture, Indiana University Two Academic Years, 1982 and 1983
  • Armenian Language & Culture, University of Venice, Italy 1989
  • Polish Language & Culture, Instytut Badan Polonijnych, Krakow, Poland 1985
  • Russian & East European Area Studies, Indiana University 1984
  • Council for International Educational Exchange Semester Program, Leningrad State University, Soviet Union 1984
  • Bulgarian Language, University of Sofia, Bulgaria 1981