War, Demographics, and Militarization: Discursive Strategies and Socioeconomic Consequences of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

This panel examines the demographic, economic, and ideological dimensions of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, analyzing how state policies, social structures, and historical narratives shape both the lived experiences of war and its long-term societal consequences. The war has intensified demographic anxieties within Russia, prompting the state to implement pronatalist policies, restrict women’s rights, and deploy nationalist rhetoric to counteract population decline. Meanwhile, recruitment patterns reveal stark economic and ethnic disparities, with Russia’s poorest and most ethnically diverse regions shouldering a disproportionate share of military casualties and war-induced disabilities. At the same time, rising uncertainty has fueled the popularity of esoteric and mystical practices, reflecting broader shifts in public trust and coping mechanisms.

The first paper examines how wartime political discourse in Russia has shaped policies on gender roles, reproduction, and national identity. The second explores how traditionalist gender norms and collective memory influence Russian men’s enlistment decisions beyond state propaganda and financial incentives. The third presents statistical findings on the unequal burden of war-related deaths and disabilities, linking poverty and ethnic diversity to increased military casualties. The fourth analyzes the wartime surge in esoteric beliefs in Russia and Ukraine, showing how astrology, tarot, and numerology serve as coping mechanisms while also being politically instrumentalized. Together, these papers provide a multidimensional analysis of how war reshapes societies, reinforcing inequalities, deepening militarization, strengthening authoritarianism, and reshaping belief systems.

Sub Unit

• Sociology, Public Health, Education

Chair

• Liudmila Listrovaya, U of Michigan

Papers

• 'Men Must Fight, Women Must Wait': The War in Ukraine and Russian Traditionalism - Mariia Kurbak, Ashford U / Washington U in St. Louis

• 'The Special Demographic Operation': War and Demographic Anxiety in Russia. - Jules Sergei Fediunin, U of Oslo (Norway)

• Uneven Burdens: Socioeconomic Drivers of Differences in Male Mortality Rates Across Russian Regions after 2022 - Liudmila Listrovaya, U of Michigan

• Unconventional Spiritual Practices in the Wartime Ukraine and Russia - Dinissa Duvanova, Lehigh U

Discussant

• Jane Kitaevich, U of Michigan