Galina Vasilievna Starovoitova 1946 - 1998 |
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| Galina
Vasilievna Starovoitova was born in Cheljabinsk, Russia,
in 1946. An ethnographer and politician, she is
remembered as an advocate of human rights and a champion
for political reform in Russia. Shot to death in
the stairwell of her home on Griboyedova Canal in central
St. Petersburg in November 1998, in what "appears to
be a political assasination" (United States
Institute of Peace, /pw/1298). At the time of her
death, Galina was State Duma deputy. Galina, one of the original leaders of Russia's perestroika-era democratic movement and a prominent human rights advocate, worked alongside Nobel Prize-winner Andrei Sakharov. Galina received her B.A. from Leningrad College of Military Engeneering in 1966 and her M.A. in social psychology from Leningrad University 1971. Her Ph.D. in social anthropology from the Institute of Ethnography, USSR Academy of Sciences (1980) explored ethnic groups in the modern Soviet city. She has also published extensively on anthropological theory and cross-cultural studies.
An early and outspoken critic of human rights abuses against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, Starovoitova won a seat in the USSR Supreme Soviet from Yerevan, the Armenian capital. In 1990, she was elected from Leningrad to the Russian Supreme Soviet, where she served that body until it was disbanded in 1993. Starovoitova also served as Russian president Boris Yeltsin's advisor on ethnic issues in 1991 and 1992, though she resigned because of differences over Kremlin policy in the Caucasus. In 1993-1994, Starovoitova was a Jennings Randolph senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace where she completed Sovereignty After Empire: Self-Determination Movements in the Former Soviet Union. In 1994-1995 Galina was the Thomas J. Watson distinguished visiting professor at Brown University. Elected to the Russian State Duma in 1995, Galina represented the 209th parliamentary district in northern St. Petersburg. In 1997, Galina published National Self-Determination : Approaches and Case Studies, a scholarly book on ethnic relations. Today we celebrate a scholar, an advocate for human rights, and one who worked tirelessly for democratic reform - Galina Vasilievna Starovoitova. Links of Interest
* St. Petersburg Times, Russia * The Andrei Sakharov Foundation < HOME > < BACK TO TOP > |
Galina Starovoitova was the model of the scholar-practitioner, bridging the gap between academia and politics. (USIP president Richard H. Solomon) Selected Works By Galina 1987 Ethnic Group in the Modern Soviet City. Leningrad: Nauka (in Russian). 1997 National Self-Determination: Approaches and Case Studies. 1997 Sovereignty After Empire: Self-Determination Movements in the Former Soviet Union. Peaceworks No. 19. United States Institute of Peace.
Galina Starovoitova
is an inspiration. Her integrity in public office was
unquestioned. Her sense of fairnesss was legendary. Her
leadership was undaunted in the face of challenge after
challenge. She was a role model. (Lynn Hinkle,
President, Women of the World) Sources 1998 Amnesty International [internet id 1998/44604098]. Balzer, Marjorie Mandelstam. 1999 Galina Vasil'evna Starovoitova. Anthropology Newsletter. January. 1998 BBC News. November 27 [internet id 223000/223433]. 1999 Federal Informational and Computing Server of Russian National Network for Science and Education [internet csa.runnet.ru:85]. Whitmore, Brian. 1997 St. Petersburg Times. November 27 [internet archives]. Whitmore, Brian. 1998. St. Petersburg Times. December 18 [internet archives]. 1998 Women of the World [internet astrawow.com].
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