Book Discussion: Feminist Perspective on Russia’s War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices, by ed. Maryna Shevtsova

Session Submission Type: Book Discussion Roundtable

Brief Description

This powerful collection of essays brings together feminist scholars from Ukraine and Belarus to examine the impact of war through a gendered lens. The edited monograph not only addresses the ongoing conflict, but also challenges traditional narratives by centering the voices of women and marginalized groups. Through diverse methodologies, including media analysis, legal studies, participant observation and feminist autoethnography, the authors reveal how war reshapes gender norms, disrupts cultural expectations, and redefines womanhood and manhood in crisis. Our panelists, made up of authors and other scholars, will discuss the significance of feminist scholarship in understanding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How has war affected gender roles? What new perspectives can feminist analysis offer in conflict studies? And how can this research inform broader global conversations on gender and warfare? Additionally, this volume makes a significant contribution to Ukrainian Studies, War Studies and elsewhere in the academy by providing a much-needed multilingual bibliography of local and regional scholarship. By amplifying voices often overlooked in Western academia, this book serves as both a critical academic resource and a call for further interdisciplinary research on gender and conflict. The book also engages with the theme of memory, examining how war and displacement shape collective and personal narratives. By documenting feminist perspectives on the war, it challenges dominant historical accounts and preserves the lived experiences of those too often erased from official records. We invite you to engage with us in this important discussion, exploring how feminist perspectives can deepen our understanding of war, resilience & resistance.

Sub Unit

• International Relations, Security Studies, Foreign Policy

Chair

• A. M. LaVey, New York Public Library

Roundtable Speakers

• Emily S. Channell-Justice, Harvard U

• Tatsiana Chulitskaya, Vilnius U (Lithuania)

• Dafna Rachok, UNC at Chapel Hill

• Maryna Shevtsova, KU Leuven (Belgium)

• Ivan Shmatko, U of Alberta (Canada)