FREE Webinar – Breaking Boundaries: Russian Women and the Great War
ACHE is happy to host Dr. Laurie S. Stoff for an insightful webinar on Russian women and their role in the Great War. You can register here!
When: Wednesday, March 3, 2021 from 5:30-7:00pm
Format: Online
“Breaking Boundaries: Russian Women and the Great War”
Russia’s involvement in World War I was harrowing, as in many other countries that fought in this conflict, but until very recently, scholarly studies have largely overlooked its experiences. Not only is Russia generally neglected in Western historiography of this war (which, perhaps unsurprisingly, is dominated by Western experiences), it was similarly largely disregarded in Soviet scholarship. Immediately preceding and in a number of important ways, predicating, the Russian Revolution of 1917, it was overshadowed by histories of that event. Moreover, the new Soviet regime was loath to commemorate what was perceived of as a “bourgeois imperialist war.” Yet, Russia’s war experience during this conflict is historically significant for a number of reasons. Although it withdrew its forces from the fighting earlier than other belligerents, Russia put approximately 15 million men into battle and lost nearly half to wounding, illness, death, and desertion. To allow for the operation of its military machine in this total war, the country depended heavily on the mobilization and participation of women in virtually every aspect of service. Female workers performed nearly half of all wartime labor in agricultural, commercial, and industrial sectors. More than thirty thousand women worked in wartime medical capacities, treating the wounded and ill among both the soldiering and civilian populations. Perhaps most saliently, thousands of Russian women actually participated directly in Russia’s military efforts on the battlefields. Moreover, Russia’s war was fundamentally different from the static trench warfare that dominated the Western front. Instead, military operations were highly mobile on the Eastern Front, which meant that it was often impossible to separate women from frontline activity. As a result, the actions and experiences of Russian women in the Great War indicate the extent to which war often has been mischaracterized as a masculine endeavor, and call into question the notion of ossified divisions between “front” and “rear,” “combatant” and “non-combatant,” even “masculine and feminine.”
Money is available to support classroom programs and professional development through the William C. Jenkins History Teaching Mentor Program
When: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so apply any time
What: Through the generosity of the Helios Education Foundation, the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies invites proposals to further equip and train history teachers for successful classroom teaching and learning. The program wishes to offer support in the teaching of historical content and historical thinking skills, in accordance with recent scholarship in the teaching and learning of history.
Apply for the program here: https://shprs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/helios_teacher_proposal_application.pdf