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Richards Plavnieks, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of History
Richards Plavnieks

My grandparents came to the United States in 1949 and I myself grew up around the Latvian exile enclave of Rockville, Maryland. As a child and teenager, between 1993 and 1998, I lived in Moscow and Rīga, where my interest in my family’s background was kindled. It couldn't be understood without knowing about the Second World War, and my course toward a Ph.D. in Modern German History was set. I received my Bachelor's Degree in History and German from Stetson University in 2004, and went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study under Professor Christopher Browning for my Master's Degree and my Doctorate, which I earned in 2013. Between 2013 and 2018, I was an Adjunct at Rollins College, Stetson University, and the University of Central Florida. After publishing my book, Nazi Collaborators on Trial During the Cold War: Viktors Arajs and the Latvian Auxiliary Security Police, I was appointed Assistant Professor of History at Florida Southern College, beginning in Fall 2018. The book was translated into Latvian in 2020.