Research and Publications
Dr Keenan's research deals with Russia during the eighteenth century and, in particular, the role of St Petersburg in the relationship between Russia and other contemporary European states. The focus of his work is primarily on the cultural life of the city, given its role as the seat of the imperial Russian court from the early eighteenth century onwards, and the influence of European fashions or trends on both its physical development and the lives of its populace. The broader theme of Russia's 'Europeanisation' in this period, both culturally and intellectually, is also part of his longer term research plans - a joint project on the relationship between Russia and the Bentham brothers (with Professor Roger Bartlett) and the activities of 'enlightened' governors in Russia's provincial capitals (e.g. Aleksei P. Mel'gunov in Iaroslavl').
Dr Keenan studied for his undergraduate degree (in Modern History and Byzantine Studies) at the Queen's University of Belfast. He moved to the University of York in 2000, where he undertook a Masters degree in Historical Research, and then to the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (UCL), where he completed his doctoral thesis, graduating in 2006. This research was supported by an AHRC studentship - it focussed on the creation of 'public' spaces and social interaction in early eighteenth-century St Petersburg. He joined LSE in 2004 as a tutorial fellow and became a temporary lecturer in 2008.
He is currently working on a monograph on the social and cultural development of St Petersburg from its foundation in 1703 until the accession of the empress Catherine II in 1762. This is provisionally entitled: '"A Facade of Power, Wealth and Ostentation": St Petersburg as a Residenzstadt, 1703-62'.
His recent publications include:
'The Summer Gardens in the Social Life of St Petersburg, 1703-1761', Slavonic & East European Review, vol. 88, nos. 1-2 (2010), pp. 134-55.
'23 December 1742: Elizaveta Petrovna's Ceremonial Entry into St Petersburg', in Days from the Reigns of Eighteenth-Century Russian Rulers. Proceedings of a Workshop, dedicated to the memory of Professor Lindsey Hughes, held at the Biblioteca di Storia Contemporanea 'A Oriani', Ravenna, Italy, 12-13 September 2007, edited by Anthony Cross (Cambridge: Study Group on Eighteenth-Century Russia, 2007), vol. 1, pp. 79-91.
'The Function of Fashion: Women and Clothing at the Russian Court, 1700-1762', in Women in Eighteenth-Century Russian Culture and Society, edited by Wendy Rosslyn and Alessandra Tosi (Palgrave: Basingstoke, 2007), pp. 125-43.
Teaching and Supervision
Dr Keenan's teaching at the LSE reflects the research interests outlined above. He teaches the following courses:
At undergraduate level:
HY114: War and Society, from the Renaissance to the Napoleonic Era, c.1500-1815| (taught jointly with other members of staff in the Department)
HY221: The History of Russia, 1682-1825|
At Masters level:
HY424: The Napoleonic Empire: The Making of Modern Europe?|
Contact Details:
Office: Room EAS.E391
Telephone: 020 7955 6654
Email Address: P.Keenan@lse.ac.uk|
Office Hours
TBC