With Professor?Oksana KisExterner Link, Professor?Joachim von PuttkamerExterner Link and Dr Immo RebitschekExterner Link

This one-day seminar, organized by the?Imre Kertész Kolleg JenaExterner Link, our current fellow Professor Oksana KisExterner Link, and the?Chair of Modern Eastern European History at G?ttingen UniversityExterner Link, will explore the most extreme historical events in Ukraine during the 20th century through the lens of the gendered experiences of Ukrainian women. Based on a close reading of selected primary sources (in English), we will discuss the Holodomor, World War II, the Ukrainian nationalist underground struggle, and the Gulag.
Through women’s memoirs of surviving these events, students will explore the human dimension of major historical developments from a gender perspective. Firsthand accounts of women will serve as a window into how ordinary people responded to extraordinary historical circumstances. Students will gain insight into women’s survival strategies, coping practices, resistance and accommodation in situations where their rights, opportunities, and resources were limited or nonexistent. By examining women’s testimonies, students will analyze power dynamics, identify gendered vulnerabilities and sources of resilience, and trace manifestations of women’s agency in the face of prevailing disempowerment and violence.

Participants are expected to prepare the readings, provide an introduction to one of the sessions, and contribute to the general discussion. The seminar will be held in English. Accepted participants will receive further instructions and the reading package by the end of February.

Participants will receive formal certificates acknowledging their attendance and contribution to the seminar.

Applications are to be submitted online via?Google FormExterner Link?by February 20, 2026.
Notification of acceptance letters will be sent out by February 28, 2006.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information (Daniela.Gruber@uni-jena.de).

Programme (short)

11:00 Welcome & Start of the Seminar Day

11:15 - 12:30?The Holodomor 1932-1933

13:15 – 14:30 World War II

15:00 – 16:15 Nationalist Underground (OUN-UPA), 1940-50s

16:45 – 18:00 The Gulag

18:00 – 18:30 Concluding Session

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