The Department of Modern and Contemporary History at Belarusian State University is the oldest and largest center in Belarus for research and professional training in the modern and contemporary history of foreign countries. In October 2022 the Department celebrated its 85th anniversary; over the years it has trained 14 Doctors of Science and more than 70 Candidates of Historical Sciences in history.
The Department was established three years after the foundation of the Faculty of History at BSU. On 29 October 1937 a young postgraduate from Leningrad, L. M. Shneerson, was appointed Head of the Department of Modern History (as it was called until the 1950s). The original staff of four remained unchanged until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. At that time the main line of research was the foreign policy of European states in the 19th and early 20th centuries, although systematic studies in this field had not yet begun.
In 1936–1939 the university attempted to establish an Oriental Studies department focusing on the modern history of dependent and colonial countries, but the lack of qualified specialists in the republic prevented this project from being implemented. From 1937 the course in the history of the East at the Faculty was in practice taught entirely by a part‑time lecturer from Leningrad, the future renowned historian of China G. V. Efimov.
In the post‑war period the Department of Modern and Contemporary History became the leading research center in the republic and the main training base for specialists in this field. Its generally recognized research profile was the study of the history of international relations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Professor L. M. Shneerson, who headed the Department until 1989, made a major contribution to the study of the foreign policy of European powers in the last third of the 19th century and to the training of academic staff. Professor N. P. Poletika carried out an in‑depth and comprehensive analysis of the causes and diplomatic prelude to the First World War; he prepared for publication a monograph on the activity of the Second International on the eve of and during the war, which, however, was not published because his interpretation differed from the official Soviet historiography. A series of monographs on the history of international relations in the 1920s–1930s was the result of many years of research by Professor G. M. Trukhnov and laid the foundations of a major scholarly school in the history of interwar diplomacy. Professor D. S. Klimovsky contributed to the study of German‑Polish relations between the two world wars, while Associate Professor M. G. Eliseev examined the complex relations between the two German states during the Cold War.
The present professorial and teaching staff, formed mainly in the 1970s–1990s, continues the best traditions of its predecessors and actively develops new research agendas. The scholarly interests of the Department’s members are linked to the study of pressing issues in contemporary world history, the political and social history of individual countries and regions, the evolution of international relations, and transformations of religion and society in the modern and contemporary periods.
Today the core staff of the Department includes eight full‑time lecturers (two professors and six associate professors) as well as several part‑time instructors. Professor V. S. Koshelev, Head of the Department since 1989, is a specialist in the history of the Arab countries and contemporary Islam; his work focuses on methodological and theoretical problems of world history, international relations and regional studies, and on the ideology and practice of political Islam. Professor O. B. Keller, author of more than 100 scholarly publications including three monographs, studies issues of civilizational contacts between Germany and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern era. Associate Professor D. G. Larionov, Deputy Head of the Department, specializes in the history of Latin American countries and the evolution of the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. Associate Professors E. G. Kolb and I. I. Shumsky focus on the political history and international relations of the contemporary period; Associate Professors N. E. Orlova, P. G. Kosmach and N. V. Kushner specialize in early modern history. Among the part‑time staff, Associate Professor V. V. Oderikha researches the history of Asian and African countries, Senior Lecturer S. I. Komar works on the contemporary history of foreign countries, Senior Lecturer D. V. Savateeva examines the social history of Western countries in the contemporary era, Senior Lecturer V. A. Kravchenko studies the contemporary history of Ireland, and Lecturer R. R. Traskevich focuses on the contemporary history of the Middle East.
The Department’s principal research areas include:
- Political and social history of Western Europe and the United States; the history of the German and British worlds;
- History of the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America in the modern and contemporary periods; processes of modernization and decolonization;
- History of the Arab countries, political Islam and contemporary religious‑political movements;
- History of Christian churches in the modern and contemporary periods, including the history of Catholicism after the Second Vatican Council;
- Historiography and source studies of modern and contemporary history; methodology of the study of international relations;
- History of international relations and diplomacy from the 19th to the 21st centuries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Teaching is a central part of the Department’s work. The organization and quality of the educational process are guided by the requirements of the Education Code of the Republic of Belarus and by the high level of professional training of the staff. Instruction is delivered in traditional formats (lectures, seminars and practical classes) and through modern technologies, including independent student work, distance and extracurricular learning, and the extensive use of information and communication tools. The Department offers core and specialized courses in Modern History, Contemporary History, World History, and Modern and Contemporary History of the Countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America for degree programs in History, Regional Studies, Museum Studies and Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage, Archival Studies and Records Management, with particular emphasis on students’ civic and value‑oriented education.
An important aspect of the Department’s activity is the preparation of curricula and teaching materials for secondary schools and higher education institutions. In recent years the staff have played an active role in the national program to produce a new generation of school textbooks in world history and social studies. Between 2021 and 2026 the Department’s members published more than 60 textbooks and teaching aids on world history and social studies for grades 7–11, along with numerous methodological resources for teachers and school students.
Thus, the Department of Modern and Contemporary History at BSU confidently maintains and strengthens its position as the principal center for the study of modern and contemporary foreign history in the Republic of Belarus. The academic staff cherish the Department’s past, uphold its traditions, take pride in the achievements of generations of its graduates and are committed to further developing its research and educational programs.
