Sufian N. Zhemukhov

Sufian N. Zhemukhov (Russian: Суфьян Насабиевич Жемухов; born September 13, 1970) is a Russian-American scholar and performer. His area of academic specialty is in nationalism and religion. He is currently an associate research professor of International affairs at George Washington University. He is also known by his stage name Sufian Z and performs one-man storytelling shows. He won 2019 Best Book Award in Religion and International Relations and received 2020 National Storytelling Network Emerging Artist Award.
==Education and career==
Zhemukhov earned his doctorate in history at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (1998). He worked as Director of Vocational Institute for Teachers (2000-2003) and Editor of daily newspaper, Kabardino-Balkarsakia Pravda (2006-2007). After Zhemukhov moved to the United States in 2011, USCIS awarded him EB-1 visa known as "Einstein visa" in the category "outstanding professors or researchers." Zhemukhov worked at George Washington University and at University of Maryland Baltimore County. He taught courses in European studies, international affairs, and the Middle Eastern studies, and was nominated for the 2019 Kendall Service Excellence in Teaching Award. 
He received Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2012), Hayward Isham Fellowship at George Washington University (2011) and Fulbright Fellowship at the Kennan Institute of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (2005). Institute of International Education named him the 2016 Featured Scholar.
In 2010, Zhemukhov founded NGO Circassiada (with Alexei Bekshokov), published a monthly newspaper Voice of Kabarda, and climbed Mt Elbrus in an effort to attract attention to grievances about the Circassian genocide. He expressed his initiatives in an article Skating On Thin Ice in Sochi featured in The New York Times "Idea of the Day" section.
==Publications and research==
Zhemukhov is a distinguished scholar specializing in the politics and history of the post-Soviet region, particularly the North Caucasus and Russia. His expertise spans ethnic politics, nationalism, Islam, and conflict resolution within post-Soviet countries. 
Zhemukhov has authored several books, including "Mass Religious Ritual and Intergroup Tolerance: The Muslim Pilgrims' Paradox" (2017), which received the 2019 Best Book Award in Religion and International Relations from the International Studies Association and an Honorable Mention for the 2018 Joseph Rothschild Prize in Nationalism and Ethnic Studies by the Association for the Study of Nationalities at Columbia University. Other notable works include "Putin's Olympics: The Sochi Games and the Evolution of Twenty-First Century Russia" (2017) and “Circassian Olympics: Presentation in Russia” (2009). 
In addition to his books, Zhemukhov has published numerous articles in journals such as "Slavic Review," "Problems of Post-Communism," "East European Politics," and "Nationalities Papers." He has also collaborated with renowned scholars, including Mikhail A. Alexseev, Robert W. Orttung, Georgi M. Derluguian, Charles King, and Şener Aktürk.
==Performer==
In 2011, Zhemukhov toured in the United States with his one-man show Flirting Like an American, "a show about romance, culture, and one immigrant's story," according to NPR. The show received critical acclaim critics calling Zhemukhov "a master storyteller" and "an excellent raconteur." He also produced one-man shows From Russian Without Love and Soviet Boy with Magic Powers. He appeared on PBS in the World Channel TV Show Stories From the Stage, Season 3, Episode 2.
==Bibliography==
* Mass Religious Ritual and Intergroup Tolerance: ISBN 978-1-107-19185-3
* Putin’s Olympics: ISBN 0-367-18598-9
* Circassian Olympics: Presentation in Russia (2009, with Alexei Kh. Bekshokov) 
* Shora Nogma: 
* Shora Nogma: A Life (2002, in Russian) 
* Kakhun: A History (1998, with Alexander I. Musukaev, in Russian) 
* A Secret of a Soul (1999, in Circassian) 
* Khan-Girey: A Worldview (1997, in Russian) 
==Awards==
* 2023: Served as the Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center 
* 2022: National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place Teller Award 
* 2020: National Storytelling Network Emerging Artist Award
* 2019: Best Book Award in Religion and International Relations.
* 2018: Joseph Rothschild Prize in Nationalism and Ethnic Studies by the Association for the Study of Nationalities at the Columbia University.
* 2016: Featured Scholar by the Institute of International Education
* 2003: Open Society Institute Diploma for “Creative Promotion and Development of Humanitarian Ideals and Cultural Traditions in Education.”
==References==
==External links==
* Official website
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* Sufian N. Zhemukhov on Google Scholar
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Category:1970 births
Category:Russian American
Category:Russian Americans
Category:Russian studies scholars
Category:Russian professors
Category:American professors
Category:Professors in the United States
Category:George Washington University faculty