John Romero
Area(s) of Expertise: Russian and Soviet History, Nations and Nationalism, Comparative Colonialism, 20th Century Political Ideologies
Overview
Dr. John Romero’s research focuses on issues of nationalism, socialism, and culture in the Soviet and post-Soviet space. In particular, he is interested in the Turkic Muslim peoples of the Middle Volga and Central Asia have engaged with the long history of Russian and Soviet political, cultural, and economic expansion.
Dr. Romero has previously published on topics related to Soviet musical culture, political violence, and post-Soviet film and literature. He is currently working on additional projects related to subversive and dissident activities during the Khrushchev Thaw, the historical memory of World War II-era collaboration, and the role of émigré activists in the creation of the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
A native of Chula Vista, California, Dr. Romero has somehow managed to survive in Georgia despite its total lack of California Burritos and In-N-Out Burger. Prior to arriving at UNG in Fall 2020, Dr. Romero completed his Ph.D. at Arizona State University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Indiana University’s Russian Studies Workshop. He is a recovering punk rocker and table-top gamer.
Courses Taught
- The Soviet Experiment
- Imperial Russia
- Revolutionary Russia
- Russia Since 1970
- Stalinism
- Revolutionary Europe
- Multiethnic Russia
- WW2 Eastern Front
Education
- Ph.D., History, Arizona State University, 2019
- B.A., History (Russian Studies), University of California, Irvine, 2011
Publications
“Rethinking Political Repression in the Tatar Republic, 1917-1941” Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History, vol. 22, no. 4 (2021), pp. 841-864.
“Soviet Music as National Achievement: The Development of Professional Music in the Tatar ASSR, 1928-1959” Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History, vol. 20, no. 1 (Winter, 2019), pp. 73-97.
“National Identity in Post-Soviet Tatarstan: Orthodox Missionaries in Twenty-First Century Tatar Literature and Film,” in Russia’s Regional Identities: The Power of the Provinces, eds. Edith W. Clowes, Gisela Erbslöh, Ani Kokobobo. New York: Routledge, 2018, pp. 229-247.