Gender, Rhetoric and the Reality of War in Ukraine In conversation with Anna Dovgopol

CRSCEES in association with the GCRF Fellowship present this special event with Anna Dovgopol, ‘Gender, Rhetoric and the Reality of War in Ukraine'.

Russia attacked Ukraine not just with missiles, but also with ideas – mainly, the idea of a ‘Russian world' that includes Ukraine as an integral part and denies Ukraine its right of self-determination. Embodying the figure of a strong patriarch, Putin's war rhetoric is based on clichés of gendered violence, including rape jokes. His assumption is clearly that Ukraine, a weaker and dependent state, should tolerate any violence against it — and yet, the war, and Ukrainian resistance, is ongoing.

In this talk, Anna Dovgopol will present a gendered analysis of the current situation, discussing the importance of feminism for both the rhetoric and the reality of war. How does the behaviour of Russian soldiers — excessive aggression, rape, murder — shape the discourse of the war? What does resistance in Ukraine look like and where are the women?

The event is open to the public and will include a Q&A with the speaker. Anna Dovgopol is the St Andrews GCRF Visiting Fellow and coordinator of the Gender Programme at the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Ukraine.