Central and East European Women and the Second World War: Gendered Experiences in a Time of Extreme Violence, ed. by Gelinada Grinchenko, Kateryna Kobchenko, Oksana Kis (ART-KNYHA, Kyiv, 2015), 335 pp.

The collection of academic works presents research by Ukrainian and international scholars examining various aspects of women’s experiences during World War II in Central and Eastern Europe. It sheds light on the understudied topics of women’s participation in combat, the conditions of military captivity, and the gendered dimensions of experiences in both the Soviet and national resistance movements. The collection also explores life in occupied territories, forced labor in the Third Reich, the gender-specific aspects of the Holocaust, and the complex issues of violence against women and their complicity in violence during the war. Additionally, it addresses post-war representations of women’s wartime experiences.

Seeking to move beyond the stereotypical portrayal of women within the “traitor–victim–heroine” framework, scholars present a nuanced and multifaceted picture of women’s everyday lives in extraordinary historical circumstances. The research is conducted from an interdisciplinary perspective, utilizing a variety of historical sources and applying diverse scientific approaches and methodologies. Furthermore, the collection introduces contemporary feminist perspectives on the study of women and war.

This publication is intended for specialists in history, gender studies, and other humanities, as well as for anyone interested in these topics.