Two International Council for Central and East European Studies Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Central and East European Studies will be presented at the ICCEES 2025 World Congress to:

Prof. Heather Coleman

Prof. Heather Coleman, a historian of Russia and Ukraine specializing in religion and modernization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

She is author of the monograph Russian Baptists and Spiritual Revolution, 1905-1929, co-editor of Sacred Stories: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Russia, and editor of Orthodox Christianity in Imperial Russia: A Source Book on Lived Religion, and these works have been recognized for their intellectual rigor and a nuanced understanding of the historical and political complexities of the region.

Prof. Coleman’s significant service to the international community of Slavic and East European Studies scholars is also evident in her ten years of service as editor-in-chief of Canadian Slavonic Papers. As noted in the letter of nomination: “She made the journal truly international, with 52% of all authors hailing from countries other than Canada. Under Prof. Coleman’s leadership, the journal became an anchor of our international community, facilitating lively scholarly exchange across borders and publishing in both English and French.” ICCEES proudly recognizes Prof. Coleman’s outstanding contributions and service to Central and East European Studies.

Prof. Mitsuyoshi Numano

Prof. Mitsuyoshi Numano has made significant contributions as a specialist in Russian and Polish literature.

His numerous, and award-winning, scholarly monographs and articles, in Japanese, English, and Russian, include such titles as “Is There Such a Thing as Central (Eastern) European Literature?” A Guide to Contemporary Russian Literature, and An Excursion to the End of the Twentieth Century in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Professor Numano’s most notable contributions have been promoting the integration of the scholarly community of Japan and the entire East Asia into a global commonwealth, which has facilitated academic exchange both regionally and internationally. As the President of JCREES, he co-chaired Asia’s first ICCEES World Congress held in Makuhari, Japan in 2015.

Professor Numano was instrumental in organizing the East Asian Conference on Slavic Eurasian Studies, which has been held 12 times from 2009 to 2024. He has established trusting relationships with Slavists in China and especially in South Korea, where he has many disciples who graduated from the University of Tokyo.

ICCEES is proud to recognize Prof. Numano’s many outstanding contributions and service to Central and East European Studies.