Mary Jane Maxwell Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History & Religious Studies
Richardson House 305
One Brennan Circle
Poultney, VT 05764-1199
Email Address: maxwellmj@greenmtn.edu
802-287-8075
Dr. Mary Jane Maxwell specializes in cross cultural contacts between Christians and Muslims in the late medieval era. In particular, she examines the travel accounts of European and Russian merchants who left detailed records of their conversion to Islam while conducting business in Muslim lands. Her scholarly interest in medieval travelers inspired her own personal treks to Europe, Russia, Africa, India, and the Middle East. She brings her travel stories and photos to the classroom where she encourages students to develop a greater appreciation for other cultures. When not traveling, Mary Jane spends her summers fly-fishing in Yaak, Montana.
Education
Ph.D. History, Washington State University, Pullman Washington, May 2004
Primary field in World History
Dissertation title: "Journeys of Faith and Fortune: Christian Travelers in the Dār al-Islām in the 15th and Early 16th Century"
M.A. History, Washington State University, 1999
Thesis title: "Sanctity and Power: The Life of Mikhail Iaroslavich Tverskoi 1271-1318"
B.A. History Summa Cum Laude, Whitworth College, Spokane, WA, 1997
Courses Taught
European Expansion 1400-1800
History of India
Islamic World
Classical and Christian Europe
World History to 1500
Colonial Latin America
Modern South Asia
Publications
"Afanasii Nikitin: An Orthodox Russian’s Spiritual Voyage in the Dār al-Islām, 1468-1475," September 2006 Journal of World History
The Role of the Individual in World History,” World History Connected vol. 3, no. 3 July, 2006.
“Structuring the World History Survey,” World History Connected vol. 2, no. 2, May, 2005.
Book Review: David Arnold, The Tropics and the Traveling Gaze: India, Landscape and Science, 1800-1856 (University of Washington Press: 2006) forthcoming in Itinerario vol 31, no. 1, 2007.
Book Review: Richard C. Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road (St. Martin’s Press: 1999) in World History Connected vol.1 no. 2, May 2004
Book Review: A.G. Hopkins (ed), Globalization in World History (W.W. Norton: 2002) in World History Connected vol. 2, no. 1, November 2004.
Forthcoming Publications:
“Marketing World History,” forthcoming in World History Connected
“Nutmeg and Cloves,” forthcoming in Commodities, Culture and History, Facts on File 2009
"European Travelers to South Asia before 1498," forthcoming in the ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia of World History
"Russia and the Mongols, Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries," forthcoming in the ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia of World History
Presentations
Chair and Comment, “The Politics and Meanings of Commodities, Resources, and Capitalism: Uganda, France, and South Korea,” at Ohio Valley History Conference, Western Kentucky University, October 19, 2007
Conference paper, “Journeys of Faith and Fortune: Christian Merchants in the Dar al-Islam,” at the annual meeting for Forum on European Expansion and Global Interaction at Georgetown University, February, 2008
Conference paper, “From Imposter to Imperialist: Ludovico De Varthema’s Journey from Italy to India 1502-1503,” 2005 WHA Annual Conference, Ifrane, Morocco, June, 2005
Conference paper, “The Role of the Individual in World History,” Northwest Affiliate of the World History Association in Portland, Oregon October, 2004
Guest Speaker for the Early Slavists’ Seminar at Harvard’s Davis Center in Cambridge, MA. September 24, 2004. Topic: “Trade and Conversion: Afanasii Nikitin’s Voyage in World History.”
Conference paper, “In the Midst of the Faiths: Afanasii Nikitin’s Spiritual Journey in 15th Century India,” presented at “World History: The Next Ten Years” Boston, March, 2004.
Paper presentation “Christian Travelers in the Dār al-Islām” at Washington State University’s Spring 2004 History Colloquium
Awards
- Bernard Bobb Excellence Award (Outstanding Graduate Instructor) 2004
- Aiken Travel Grant 2004
- Morris Reed Scholarship for Excellence in European History Research 2003
- Undergraduate History Academic Award 1997
- Pew Younger Scholar Award 1997. Topic: “Buried Treasure: The Pleasures of Archival Research.”
Academic Memberships
American Historical Association
World History Association
Forum European Expansion and Global Interaction
