Dr. Bernd Christoph Ströhm is a Slavist, historian, and researcher specializing in Eastern and Southeast European Studies. He studied Slavic and Russian Studies at the University of Vienna, earning his Bachelor’s degree in 2012 and Master’s degree in 2016. From 2017 to 2019, he pursued the interdisciplinary Master of Advanced International Studies (M.A.I.S.) at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, focusing on international politics, economics, history, as well as international and European law.

In 2024, Dr. Ströhm completed his PhD at the University of Vienna with a dissertation on Soviet dissent and the relations between Soviet dissidents and West German correspondents. His doctoral research also explored how West German reporting on Soviet dissent influenced East–West diplomatic relations during the Cold War. Since July 2025, he has been a postdoctoral university assistant in Russian and East Slavic literature, regional, and cultural studies at the University of Vienna. His research and teaching at the University of Vienna focus on the development of Soviet/Russian dissent and opposition movements, Russian emigration and exile movements, as well as the role of German-language media in the East–West discourse during the Cold War.

Beyond Eastern Europe, Dr. Ströhm is deeply engaged in studying the historical, economic, and political development of the Western Balkans. His work pays particular attention to the region’s trajectory in the context of Russian influence, examining cultural, economic, political, and diplomatic interactions.

He has gained teaching experience at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, where he teaches courses on Eastern and Southeast Europe, with a focus on Russian studies, the development of the international state system, the evolution of the Western Balkans, Russian foreign policy, and Soviet exile and opposition movements.

Department of Slavonic Studies

Spitalgasse 2
1090 Wien
Room: 2R-O1-42

T: +43-1-4277-42831

bernd.christoph.stroehm@univie.ac.at