INST Faculty Member Raluca Elena Golesteanu Jacobs Nominated for Prestigious Award

The International & Global Studies Program is proud to announce that Raluca Elena Golesteanu Jacobs has been nominated for the 25th edition of the H. Wereszycki and W. Felczak Award, one of the most respected distinctions in Central and Eastern European historical scholarship. The nomination recognizes her 2024 book, Habsburg Galicia and the Romanian Kingdom: Sociocultural Development, 1866-1914.

Published by Routledge, in partnership with the German Historical Institute in Warsaw and the Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences — where Golesteanu Jacobs completed her doctorate — the book offers a nuanced and richly researched examination of sociocultural change as experienced by Habsburg Galicia and the Romanian Kingdom during a crucial era in modern European history. Her work has been widely praised for its theoretical depth, transnational perspective, and contribution to understanding interconnected borderland regions.

The H. Wereszycki and W. Felczak Award, presented by the Faculty of History at Jagiellonian University together with the Władysław Felczak Institute, honors outstanding contributions to the study of Central and Eastern Europe. Golesteanu Jacobs's nomination places her among a distinguished group of scholars shaping contemporary historical discourse.

This academic year has been a vibrant one for Golesteanu Jacobs in the classroom as well. She is currently teaching European Integration and Globalization for the International Studies Program in Fall 2025, where students explore the political, economic, and cultural forces that have shaped Europe's continental and global roles.

Looking ahead, she will continue to bring her expertise to students across campus by teaching two History courses in Spring 2026:

• HIST 36903: Europe, the 20th Century
  An engaging, multimedia-rich course tracing Europe's most transformative century—from world wars and totalitarian regimes to decolonization, the Cold War, and the fall of communism.
• HIST 35503: Russia Since 1861
  A dynamic exploration of Russia's modern history, featuring primary sources, art, music, and interactive activities that illuminate the country's political evolution and cultural identity.

Our warmest congratulations to Golesteanu Jacobs for this prestigious nomination and for her continued excellence as a scholar, educator, and member of the International & Global Studies community.