Do you have an article to finish or PhD chapter to write? Are you looking for a supportive environment and dedicated time to focus on research? CSWG invites you to join the Centre's new structured writing sessions. The sessions will take place weekly on Thursdays 10.00 - 17.00.

Based on the highly successful Sociological Review Writing Retreat model, sessions will be facilitated and divided into a series of strict fixed timed writing slots, with everyone working in the same room at the same time. For more details on how the sessions will run, please see below.

These sessions are open to both staff and students from across the University of Warwick. You do not need to register in advance – just turn up on the day.

Please note that each week we will meet in a different venue, as follows:

• January 11 - S2.77 (Social Sciences Building)
• January 18 - Wolfson Research Exchange (Library, 3^rd floor – you will need your staff/PhD student card to enter. If you want to attend but you’re not a member of staff or PhD student, please email us in advance on m.d.m.pereira@warwick.ac.uk)
• January 25 - PLEASE NOTE THIS SESSION WILL HAVE AN EARLIER END TIME: 14.30 - Wolfson Research Exchange (Library, 3rd floor - see information above about access to this room)
• February 1 - PLEASE NOTE THIS SESSION WILL HAVE A LATER START TIME: 11.30 - Wolfson Research Exchange (Library, 3rd floor - see information above about access to this room) You are very welcome to come to the Wolfson Research Exchange earlier and work at one of the desks in the open space until we start the session.
• February 8 - Wolfson Research Exchange (Library, 3rd floor - see information above about access to this room)
• February 15 - S0.52 (Social Sciences Building)
• February 22 - Wolfson Research Exchange (Library, 3rd floor - see information above about access to this room)
• February 29 - S2.77 (Social Sciences Building)
• March 7 - Wolfson Research Exchange (Library, 3rd floor - see information above about access to this room)
• March 14 - S2.77 (Social Sciences Building)

If you have any questions about these sessions, please email us on cswg@warwick.ac.uk.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The CSWG Team

Plans for the Sessions

We will discuss our writing/research goals at the beginning and end of the session, and the facilitator will tell you when to start and when to stop. We work to a policy of 'no surveillance' so you’ll be responsible for setting your own writing goals and monitoring your progress. The use of phones and the internet during the writing sessions will be discouraged.

To get the most out of the writing time, we advise the following:

• Decide on a writing project (a chapter of your thesis, a journal article or book chapter);
• Undertake the majority of reading needed for your piece of writing;
• Decide on the draft structure of your paper/chapter, including notes, plans, outlines, data, etc.
• Bring all you need to spend the time writing - laptop, charger, notes, readings.

You are warmly invited to the following event, taking place online via Teams:

"Feminist Perspective on Russia’s War in Ukraine. Hear Our Voices"
a book talk featuring Dr Maryna Shevtsova (KU Leuven)

Abstract:

The book "Feminist Perspective on Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices" (out this month) aims to give voices to feminist scholars from Ukraine and the wider Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. Recognizing the long-neglected nature of the war evolving since 2014, this volume offers a compilation of essays contributed by scholars spanning diverse disciplines and practitioners alike. Employing a wide array of data sources and methodologies—encompassing archival research, media analysis, legal examination, surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and feminist autoethnography—this book undertakes a broader exploration of how gender norms have been transgressed and cultural expectations of womanhood and manhood have evolved within the context of Ukraine from 2014–2023. Representing an early collaborative effort among Ukrainian and CEE feminist scholars, this compilation aims to showcase locally nurtured perspectives on Russia's invasion of Ukraine to a worldwide audience, with the overarching goal of sparking the development of fresh methodologies and approaches that can untangle the complex interconnection between gender and warfare.

During this seminar, the editor, Maryna Shevtsova, will discuss the book and focus in more detail on her own chapter, Untold Stories: Experiences of Ukrainian LGBTQ+ Refugees in the Context of Russia’s Military Invasion

Speaker Bio:

Maryna Shevtsova is a Senior post-doctoral FWO Fellow at KU Leuven (2023/2026). She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Humboldt University, Berlin (2017), an MA in Gender Studies from Central European University, Budapest (2013), and is a Fulbright (University of Florida 2018/19) and Swedish Institute (Lund University 2020/2021) Alumna. Prior to starting her work at KU Leuven, she was an MSCA Co-Fund EUTOPIA Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (2021/2023). Shevtsova is a co-founder of Equal Opportunities Platform, a Dnipro-based Ukrainian NGO working towards combating discrimination and promoting gender equality. In 2022, she received the Emma Goldman Award for her work as a feminist scholar and human rights activist. Her research interests include LGBTQ rights and activism in Central and Eastern Europe, queer migration, and anti-gender movements. Her recent publications include the monograph LGBTI Politics and Value Change in Ukraine and Turkey Exporting Europe? (Routledge 2021) and an edited volume (with Radzhana Buyantueva) on LGBTQ+ Activism in Central and Eastern Europe (Palgrave Macmillan 2020). She is also the editor of Feminist Perspectives of Russia's War in Ukraine: Hear Our Voices (upcoming with Lexington Books, February 2024).

This online seminar is free and open to all, but advance registration is required.

To register for a place, CLICK HERE.

If you have any questions about the event, please email cswg-events@warwick.ac.uk

If you have accessibility requirements or there are any adjustments we can make to support your full participation, you can let us know through the booking page. 

This event is organised by the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of Warwick. If you wish to receive information about CSWG events, please subscribe to our mailing list.