# When the Ukrainian Sun Rises: From the Holodomor to the Frontlines in Moscow's Century of Violence ![Book cover of When the Ukrainian Sun Rises](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2026-09/2026.10.14%20Hook-2-1920x1536-web-thumbnail%20%281%29.png?h=fcc566a3&itok=Ab1U5Kuz) #### calendar\_today Date and Time **October 14, 2026** 05:00PM - 06:30PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **IN-PERSON AND ONLINE** [1737 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02138 United States ]() CGIS-Knafel Building | Room K-354, 3rd Floor ### A book talk and discussion by **Kristina Hook**, Assistant Professor of Conflict Management, Kennesaw State University Chaired by [Emily Channell-Justice](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/people/emily-channell-justice), Director of the [Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/temerty-contemporary-ukraine-program) at HURI *This event is organized by HURI as part of the Seminar in Ukrainian Studies public event series and Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program.* [REGISTER TO ATTEND IN-PERSON chevron\_right](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/when-the-ukrainian-sun-rises-tickets-2000521954017?aff=oddtdtcreator) [REGISTER TO ATTEND ONLINE chevron\_right](https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N-oxtGi8TIOwxFPKfs78aw#/registration) ## About the Book *When the Ukrainian Sun Rises* explores the domestic, international, and geopolitical implications of the 1932–1933 Holodomor—an artificial famine in Soviet Ukraine under Joseph Stalin that killed at least 4 million people and changed Ukrainian society forever. Against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, anthropologist Kristina Hook draws on multi-year ethnographic fieldwork across Ukraine since 2015 and a decade of interviews with contemporary Ukrainian leaders in political, legal, activist, and academic spheres. These never-before-published interviews uncover a paradox: although the Holodomor nearly destroyed Ukraine in the 1930s, its memory also provided a narrative through which contemporary leaders would seek to rebuild their nation and express growing national confidence. As the Kremlin wages a new genocidal war against Ukraine, *When the Ukrainian Sun Rises* shows how memories of the Holodomor have shaped Ukrainian leaders’ perceptions of existential threat since 2014 and fueled a postcolonial reclamation of Ukrainian history and identity. The book demonstrates how this memory has become a framework through which these individuals interpret Russian violence, understand the stakes of national sovereignty, and articulate the meaning of Ukrainian survival—helping to explain the country’s extraordinary resistance today. ## About the Speaker ![Kristina Hook](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/2026-09/2026.10.14%20Hook-1-200x200-web-speaker.png) [Dr. Kristina Hook](https://www.kristinahook.com/about) (Assistant Professor of Conflict Management, Kennesaw State University) is an anthropologist specializing in genocide. She has conducted multi-year fieldwork in Ukraine since 2015, supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fulbright, USAID, and others. Hook’s analysis has also appeared in *Foreign Affairs, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Genocide Studies and Prevention, International Negotiation, CNN, USA Today, Washington Post*, and elsewhere. Her research on the Russia-Ukraine war has won multiple awards and has been cited by the International Court of Justice, United Nations, NATO, Parliamentary Assembly of Europe, U.S. government, and others. Hook received her joint PhD in anthropology and peace studies from the University of Notre Dame. She previously served as a U.S. Department of State policy adviser, a nonresident research fellow at the Marine Corps University, and a U.S. Presidential Management Fellow. She is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. --- ###### Questions? Contact HURI Events Coordinator, [Kat Ambrus](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/people/kat-ambrus). ###### Persons with disabilities who wish to request accommodations or who have questions about access should contact us at least two weeks in advance. ###### Watch videos of past HURI events on our [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/huriyt) and [subscribe](https://mailchi.mp/fas.harvard.edu/huri-subscribe) to our email list to receive announcements about upcoming events and other activities of the Institute. See also:- [ Seminar in Ukrainian Studies ](/event-type/seminar-ukrainian-studies) - [ TCUP Event ](/event-type/tcup-event) - [ Anthropology ](/fields-expertise/anthropology) - [ Holodomor ](/fields-expertise/holodomor) - [ Literature ](/fields-expertise/literature) - [ Russia-Ukraine War ](/fields-expertise/russia-ukraine-war) - [ Public Event ](/event-categories/public-event) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/node/1618966/event-feed.ics) Copy link link