The war in Ukraine: an open discussion for the ECPG community

Abstract

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has generated a humanitarian crisis. Millions of refugees have already fled Ukraine, and the number of internally displaced persons has reached over 8 million. There is a clear gender dynamic to this crisis from the deepening of care deficits to increased exposure to violence and restrictions in access to resources, protection, and decision-making processes. Furthermore, the war exposed the abusive and violent treatment of non-heterosexual and racialized bodies, highlighting the enduring importance of emancipatory projects and concepts for sustaining livelihoods across the globe. While the war generated new forms of solidarity, it also fuelled debates among feminists from Eastern and Western Europe as well as the Global North and South. This open session aims to foster a discussion among all members of the ECPG community about the meaning of the war for gender and politics researchers and its impact on feminists and gender scholars in Ukraine and elsewhere. It also aims to gather ideas about ways in which this standing group can contribute to helping scholars in/from Ukraine, Ukrainian women, LGBT+, Roma people, people with disability and other marginalized people displaced and endangered by the war. Elżbieta Korolczuk (Södertörn University), Maryna Shevtsova (University of Ljubljana) and Stefanie Wöhl (University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna) will offer some preliminary remarks followed by an open discussion moderated by Rossella Ciccia and Ayse Dursun. Interventions: Maryna Shevtsova, Feminist Manifesto Against War: a reality check Elżbieta Korolczuk, The War in Ukraine as a Feminist Issue Stefanie Wöhl, Toxic Masculinity, War and Solidarities: Ukraine and the European Future