Objectives:
(1) an international conference devoted to the role of women in modern war (i.e., WWII-
2006); and
(2) a volume selectively based on revised presentations at the conference.
The co-organizers and co-editors of the conference are Yana Hashamova, Professor of Slavic Studies, Film Studies, Women’s Studies and Comparative Studies at The Ohio State University, and Helena Goscilo, Professor of Slavic at University of Pittsburgh. Geographically, we focus on Central/Eastern Europe, the USSR/Russia, and the Balkans; historically, on WWII; the wars in Afghanistan (1979-1989) and secessionist Chechnya (1994-96, 1999-); and the Bosnia/Croatia/Serbia war (1992-95). We plan two relatively small conferences: the first one, to be held at The Ohio State University, will focus on more recent military conflicts (Afghanistan, Chechnya, and the Balkans), and the second, to be held at the University of Pittsburgh, will focus on the Second World War. Both conferences (envisioned as two parts of one) are respectively scheduled for the end of October and November.
Importance, Impact, and Target Audience
The interdisciplinary conference on women and war, which engages political ideology, history, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, cinema, and literature, will ask (and attempt to answer) questions such as— what is the role of women in war or military conflicts beyond the well-studied victimization? Can the often contradictory expectations of women and their traditional roles be (re)thought and (re)constructed? What is the significance of the fact that two of the most conflict-wracked parts of the world in recent years, the Balkans and Central Asia, share the legacies of the Soviet system and what is the consequence of these legacies for women in times of war? And, more generally: what is the responsibility of the humanities and social sciences in developing a discourse on the subject of the mother, and through it, a reinterpretation of the position of the father in modern culture? As a way of revisiting the nature and origin of social bonds, this discourse makes possible a political response to new challenges: for instance, in the modern clash of religions and the ghettoizing of communities. In other words, one of the goals of the OSU conference is to tackle the function of women and mothers in the clash between Islam and Christianity in the Balkans, Chechnya, and Central Asia.
We will attempt to address the question of gender polarization and politicization during times of war, to re-think gender identities and positions in religious and military clashes, and to elaborate a discourse on the subject of motherhood and fatherhood in war will contribute to pursuit of knowledge that can unravel problems related to violent conflicts, identities, and security.