#  Combat Witches: Women’s Resilience in War-Torn Ukraine 

 



    ![Woman with snakes for hair, by Natalia Muzychenko](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2025-10/2025.11.14%20oksana-kis-dcres.png?h=6a1de780&itok=Wqjl1r-n) 

 



 

####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **November 14, 2025** 

 12:00PM - 01:30PM EST 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **ONLINE**  



 

 [ REGISTER FOR ZOOM arrow\_circle\_right ](https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XNyRFMtaQIm6WSBGaAgiAg) 

 



 

### A lecture by Oksana Kis, Head of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. Hosted by the Gender, Socialism, and Postsocialism Working Group at the Davis Center. 

This lecture traces the transformation of public discourse on witchcraft and attitudes toward magical practices as a part of women’s subculture in Ukrainian society in the context of the current war. The analysis includes varied source materials (visual art, internet memes, poetry, music videos, feature movies, clothing design, and handicrafts) that represent contemporary ideas about witches and witchcraft, as well as related media and social media, and personal testimonies of women (soldiers, combat medics, and army volunteers) who have adopted the identity of a "combat witch." Dr. Kis will show how the public perception of witchcraft as a cultural phenomenon and gendered practice changed from predominantly negative (in traditional Ukrainian culture) to predominantly positive (in contemporary public discourse), and how witchcraft is perceived in public discourse as a specifically female resource that Ukrainian women can use to defend their families and as a weapon against the enemy. The study covers the period of the Russian-Ukrainian war of 2014-2024, with special attention to the period of full-scale Russian aggression from February 24, 2022 to the present.

### Full event information may be found [h](https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/eastern-europe-crossroads-conversation-gabrielius-landsbergis)[ere](https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/combat-witches-womens-resilience-war-torn-ukraine). 

#### This event is organized by [The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies](https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/) at Harvard University and co-sponsored by the [Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/).



 

 



 

 See also:- [ Co-Sponsored Event ](/event-type/co-sponsored-event)
- [ Art and Culture ](/fields-expertise/art-and-culture)
- [ Contemporary Ukraine ](/fields-expertise/contemporary-ukraine)
- [ Russia-Ukraine War ](/fields-expertise/russia-ukraine-war)
- [ Public Event ](/event-categories/public-event)
 
 

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