Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Hugh Agnew has been fascinated by the lands and peoples of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia since he first walked into a Russian language class in 10th grade. Having decided as an undergraduate to major in History and focus on the region, he pursued doctoral study at Stanford and became a history professor. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on the history of East Central Europe and the Balkans, the Russian Revolution, Europe from Cold War to Detente, the Habsburg Empire, and nationalism at Queen’s University in Canada, the National University of Singapore, and—since 1988—at George Washington University, where he is a member of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs. Hugh has also served as associate dean, senior associate dean, and interim dean of the Elliott School. He has published numerous articles and books on Czech and Eastern European history, Bohemia, and the Habsburgs, and has lived in Austria and the Czech Republic for extended periods, most recently as a Fulbright Scholar teaching at Palacky University in the Czech Republic. Hugh has accompanied trips to Central and Eastern Europe for Smithsonian Journeys for more than twenty years, and his insightful talks have made him a favorite with Smithsonian travelers.