Sheila Fitzpatrick

Sheila Fitzpatrick
Born (1941-06-04) 4 June 1941 (age 83)
NationalityAustralian
CitizenshipAustralian, American
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
St Antony's College, Oxford
London School of Slavonic and East European Studies
Occupation(s)Historian, academic
Known forWorks on the history of modern Russia, the history of Soviet Union, and the Stalinist period
Writing career
GenreHistory
SubjectSoviet Union
Literary movementPeople's history
Notable worksBeyond Totalitarianism
Everyday Stalinism
Stalin's Peasants
Notable awardsMellon Foundation Award
RelativesBrian Fitzpatrick
Website
sydney.edu.au/arts/history/staff/profiles/sheila.fitzpatrick.php

Sheila Mary Fitzpatrick (born June 4, 1941) is an Australian historian, whose main subjects are history of the Soviet Union and history of modern Russia, especially the Stalin era and the Great Purges, of which she proposes a "history from below", and is part of the "revisionist school" of Communist historiography. She has also critically reviewed the concept of totalitarianism and highlighted the differences between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in debates about comparison of Nazism and Stalinism.

Fitzpatrick is professor at the Australian Catholic University (Melbourne), honorary professor at the University of Sydney, and Distinguished Service Professor Emerita at the University of Chicago. Prior to this, she taught Soviet history at the University of Texas at Austin and was the Bernadotte Everly Schmitt Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. She is considered a founder of the field of Soviet social history.