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НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Липень-Серпень 2024 7 The Unlimited Power of Ukrainian Women at War Dr. Oksana Kis, well known as a feminist historian and anthro- pologist in Ukraine, recently spent several years in the U.S., giving lectures and teaching at the University of Richmond as a Cornerstones Visiting Chair in History. In Lviv she is a research fellow and head of the Depart - ment of Social Anthropology at the Institute of Ethnology, Na - tional Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Her book Survival as Victory: Ukrainian Women in the Gulag is available on Ama - zon. Dr. Kis produced the first anthropological study of daily life in Soviet forced labor camps as experienced by Ukrainian women prisoners. As UNWLA National Culture Chair, I wanted to give our Soyu- zianky the opportunity to hear Dr. Kis’s compelling insights into Oksana Piaseckyj , UNWLA National Culture Chair Dr. Oksana Kis today’s women in Ukraine be- fore she returned to her home- land. Dr. Kis gladly accepted the invitation to present a lecture to the UNWLA audience on a Zoom connection in May 2024 on a topic of great interest dur - ing this war, entitled “Militant Femininity: Ukrainian Women in Wartime.” Dr. Kis with her PowerPoint presentation illustrated the historical phases of Ukrainian women’s role in political actions since the Maidan era. Relegated primarily to standard women’s assistance roles as cooks and servers to the demonstrators on the Maidan, women soon started questioning their limited participation. To cross barriers, Ukrainian women had to over - come strongly ingrained male perceptions that women were too weak or incapable of han- dling more demanding jobs. To counter these prejudices, in the Maidan, women formed wom- en’s coalitions and squads, de- manding to take up arms and join the National Police force. Undaunted by sexism, women enlisted from all walks of life in the armed forces, then ATO (Anti- Terrorist Operations). Soon they formed a Ukrainian Women’s Veterans Movement. To counter disrespectful post - er displays of women in sol - diers’ barracks, the new wom- en recruits pulled down those posters and put up posters that displayed women of pow - er and beauty, sometimes in folk costumes or colorful vinky (wreaths). This was the incarna- tion of femininity as militant and formidable. Music videos with images of “supernatural” wom- en soldiers actively involved with their male counterparts in various aspects of the war were popularized. The women, superheroes, now transport - ed humanitarian aid, fought in the trenches, or volunteered in various capacities as needed. Ukrainian women created a dif - ferent image of themselves, that of a “Zakhysnytsya” (defender) or “Berehynia” (protectress) of their large family, their home- land Ukraine. In the late 20th century, especially in Ukraine, Berehynia gained popularity as a goddess linked to protection, hearth, and motherhood. This association is tied to Ukrainian nationalism and a desire to con- nect with a matriarchal past. In her most interesting lec- ture, Dr. Oksana Kis gave us in - valuable insight into the phas- es of transformation of the Ukrainian woman that made it possible for her to live through the genocidal conditions of the present day.
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