Women and the War in Ukraine - Discussion panel with Dr. Andrea Ellner, Oskana Potapova and Tetyana Nikita. Moderated by Daryana Dvornichenko.

November 30th, 2023 - 18:00, The Dockrill Room K6.07, The King’s Building, Strand Campus.

Women in International Security (WIIS) UK and Women in War and International Politics (WIWIP) at King's College London invite you to a panel event on the gendered impacts of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Join our event where we discuss the gendered nature of the war in Ukraine, how women are participating in resistance efforts, and how their contributions are changing attitudes across the political and security fields. For more information, and to get a ticket, click on the photo or follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-and-the-war-in-ukraine-tickets-754061386907?aff=oddtdtcreator.

From Military to Markets: Feminist Framings of Private Security, Warfare and Global Militarism - “In Discussion” with Professor Cynthia Enloe and Dr Amanda Chisholm

Monday, 5th December 2022, 12.00-14.00 GMT - In-Person Event

In collaboration with the King’s College London International Relations Society, WIWIP was incredibly exciting to host an “in conversation” event with Amanda Chisholm and Cynthia Enloe for the launch of Dr Chisholm’s new book, The Gendered and Colonial Lives of Gurkhas in Private Security: From Military to Market.

The discussion addressed the ways in which affect, colonial histories, and militarism organise global security workforces within private military and security companies (PMSCs). It locates its analysis with Gurkhas; a group of militarised men from Nepal with over 200-years of military experience with the British and Indian armies in Singaporean police, who now participate as security contractors in global markets.

Afghanistan, A Year After the Taliban Takeover: Human Rights Safeguards and Perspectives on Reconstruction

Tuesday, 29th November 2022, 19.00-20.00 GMT - Online Event

Why is it important to amplify women's voices in discussions about Afghanistan? How can we understand the current gender and human rights situation in Afghanistan, and how has it evolved a year after the Taliban takeover? What are some of the key perspectives that should be taken into account while thinking about reconstruction? What role should human rights groups and activist movements play in this reconstruction?

WIWIP is incredibly honoured to host, in conversation with Dr Amanda Chisholm, Sahar Fetrat and Dr Rita Anwari, two prominent voices on Afghanistan, for a timely discussion and reflections on the state of the country, a year after the Taliban takeover.

Know Your Worth - WIWIP career coaching with Rachel Stockey

Thursday, 26th May 2022, 19.00-20.30 CEST - Online Event

In this workshop we will cover how you can increase your awareness of your own worth and value based on your knowledge, attributes, skills and experience to help you enter and navigate the job market with confidence.

We will cover how you articulate your value to a potential employer to help you land an offer and also how to negotiate on salary in a way that feels authentic to you. We’ll be doing practical exercises to help you put this into practice straight away, so come ready to engage and participate!

Ultimately you will come away knowing that you have intrinsic value that any employer would be lucky to have in their team.

This event will be hosted online - meeting details will be emailed to all those registered.

Rachel Stockey is a qualified Coach with an ICF accredited Diploma in Transformational Coaching. She is also Head of Entrepreneurial Skills at King's College London. She is the founder of 'She Lives to Fly'. https://www.shelivestofly.com/

Women in Peacebuilding: The Post-Conflict Research Centre in Sarajevo

Monday, March 7th 2022, 18:00 CET

In conversation with founder and president Velma Šarić, program director Tatjana Milovanović, advisory board president Tanya Domi and research fellow Josephine Mintel, Professor Rachel Kerr with WIWIP explores the innovative, creative and unconventional work of women at the Post Conflict Research Centre to restore a culture of peace and prevent violent conflict in the Western Balkans.

Moderated by Aurora Pinelli, the discussion is complemented by a Q&A, and the screening of the short documentary "Cases of Evil: Vlasenica" produced by the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and PINCH Media. Through stories of victims and survivors, including survivors of sexual violence, the documentary aims to preserve the memory of the horrific crimes that took place in the Bosnian city of Vlasenica, educate about its legacy, and highlight the everyday struggle of survivors and returnees for justice and recognition.

About the Post-Conflict Research Centre

Founded by Velma Šarić and Leslie Woodward, the Post-Conflict Research Centre (PCRC) is dedicated to restoring a culture of peace and preventing violent conflict in the Western Balkans by creating, implementing and supporting unconventional and innovative approaches to peace education, post-conflict research, human rights and transitional justice. In 2017, the PCRC and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect established the first regional Genocide Prevention Coalition, which consists of 25 of the leading civil society actors in the Western Balkans. The PCRC has received a number of acknowledgments of its path-breaking efforts, among others the Intercultural Innovation Award given by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group in 2014-15 and the Intercultural Achievement Award from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs for Balkan Diskurs – PCRC's independent multimedia platform.

It Starts Here: A Forum Towards Racial Equality Within Our Universities

Friday, January 28th 2022, 13:30 - 14:30 GMT

The recently published Race Report by the UK government marked a painful backlash for the efforts of all those organisations, networks, alliances, and individuals who are both profoundly impacted by, and day-to-day fighting racism within UK universities and beyond. It is yet another example for the hegemonial tactics of deception and self-deception that prepares the ground on which racism can thrive. It also highlights the dire need for safer spaces within the university in which people of Colour can come together to share anger, grief, frustration, and build communities of solidarity and hope.

This forum means to enable such a confidential and intimate space for all students, academic and professional services staff of Colour from King’s College London. Chaired by King's Race Equality Network (REN), this event will feature awareness raising on existing support structures for people of Colour within King’s College London, a roundtable with speakers, and an open discussion.

Taking place virtually on Friday, the 28th of January 2021 at 12:30 to 1:30pm, we hope to begin to foster a collective solidarity and to find spaces of hope in collective and inclusive activism.

Please note before registering that this forum is an exclusive space for those identifying as people of Colour from King's College London. Any experiences and information shared by speakers and attendees are meant to be kept confidential. Zoom link will be sent out via email shortly before the event.

Further information: This event is the second instalment of a forum series organised by the Women in War and International Politics (WIWIP) together with staff representatives of the School of Security Studies at King’s College London and the War Studies Department's EDI Committee. Each forum is dedicated to a specific theme and is developed and delivered in cooperation with organisations and networks from across the university. This term's forum is generously chaired by, and developed with, representatives of the Race Equality Network (REN) at King's College London.

Links

Report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities

Race Equality Network: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/hr/diversity/get-involved/networks/race-equality-network

Women in war and International Politics https://www.wiwip-kcl.com/

War Studies Department Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/warstudies/about/dandi

Book LAunch: ‘A Loss: The story of a dead soldier told by his sister’

Tuesday, November 30th 2021, 18:00 - 19:30 GMT

In partnership with the Ukrainian Institute London, WIWIP is proud to host the in-person book launch of “A Loss: the Story of a Dead Soldier Told By His Sister”, by Dr. Olesya Khromeychuk.

In this retelling of her brother’s death, killed at the frontline in 2017 in Eastern Ukraine while serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Dr. Khromeychuk takes the point of view of a civilian and a woman, perspectives that tend to be neglected in war narratives, and focuses on the stories that play out far away from the warzone. Her combination of personal memoir and essay make for an account of the private experiences of this still ongoing, yet near-forgotten war unfolding in the heart of Europe, and the private experience of war as such.

the women of war studies part iii:

Tuesday, November 16th 2021, 17:30 - 19:30 GMT

Join us for this hybrid on-venue and virtual event, the third of our “Women of War Studies” interactive panel series featuring four distinguished women working in research and research-facilitation in King’s College London’s Department of War Studies. Our four panellists, Dr. Amanda Chisholm, Dr. Nicola Leveringhaus, Lizzie Ellen and Ricka Metaferia, will open up about their experiences working in the field of war studies and their respective career paths. After hearing from the guests, the audience will be given a chance to ask their questions and we will end the event with a social get-together.

The women of war studies part II - Wednesday 17 March 17.30

The second instalment of our interactive panel series, The Women of War Studies, featured three distinguished women faculty members from King's College London's Departments of War Studies and Defence Studies.

During the event, Dr Aggie Hirst, Dr Kiran Phull, and Dr. Saawani Raje-Byrne spoke about their experiences working in their respective fields and their career paths. They shared invaluable expertise and advice with us, including topics such as PhD writing, mentorship, structural inequality in the workplace and academia, dealing with expectations and pressure both from yourself and others, and believing in your choices. You can watch a recording of the event HERE.

new voices in global security - WOmen of the War studies department

This WIWIP panel discussion, entitled The Women of War Studies, is part of the New Voices in Global Security Seminar Series. We invited women from the Department of War Studies and the Defence Studies Department to talk about their careers and answer questions posed by students.

We were very pleased to be joined by Kunika Kakuta, a final year doctoral candidate in the Department of War Studies, and Dr Anna Brinkman, from the War Studies Department at King’s. Our discussants were WIWIP Committee Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) Officers Laura Zuber and Karoline Färber - both first year PhD candidates in the Department of War Studies.

Watch the recording of the event HERE!

Careers workshop wiyh coach Rachel Stockey - Personal Vision and Values

This was our second workshop with coach and Head of ENtrepeneurial Skills at King’s College, Rachel Stockey. Attendees were extremely pleased with both the first and the second workshop, we highly recommend attending the third on 23 March (sign up on our Events Calendar). Rachel also hosts free Sunday sessions, sign up at SheLivesToFly.

In this session we dug deep into what motivates us personally in and our careers. Rachel Stockey took us on an in-depth journey of what drives our contentment and drive to succeed. By creating our own value boards and vision statements, we were able to better understand and articulate our unique abilities and values we bring to our workplaces and relationships. This in turn affects how we present our skills to prospective employers, and as attendees we left with a much deeper understanding of how we can utilise our personal drive and power for future success.

Intelligence at Work! In Conversation with Lieutenant General Karen Gibson

WIWIP’s last event Intelligence at Work! In Conversation with Lieutenant General Karen Gibson was an enormous success with over 200 participants.

The event attracted people of all ages and nationalities due to the invaluable presence of Lt General Karen Gibson. Indeed, the General gave us incredible insights on her long career in American Intelligence. WIWIP’s team chose to host this event precisely because of the potential advice the General could give to all students who would like to pursue a career in intelligence. Karen Gibson shared with us many anecdotes about her life as a seasoned combat veteran – particularly, we deepened our understanding of her contribution to the decisive defeat of the ISIS caliphate. Finally, we opened the floor to a Q&A, during which the audience had the opportunity to ask varied questions to the General. You can listen to the event recording HERE.

Given the overwhelming success of the event, we look forward to many more opportunities like this!

Rachel Stockey on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

In this session we discussed at what Imposter Syndrome is, who it affects and how we can identify it. We talked about practical tools and techniques to overcome Imposter Syndrome, and worked on boosting confidence, acknowledging our own skills and value, and learned how to move forward in spite of fear to be able to accept and embrace important opportunities. A great session for gaining insight and practical tools to build personal resilience!

Desiree Benipayo on women guerrillas in the Filipinio Resistance and ‘Comfort Women’ in the Second World War

(Please note: This video contains information that some viewers may find distressing)

Historians have estimated that 1 in every 10 Filipino guerrillas who fought during the Second World War was female. There were possibly more, but due to their being women, and the non-combatant roles some played, countless more were not officially recognized. Women served a gamut of roles: as nurses and medical aides tending the sick, the wounded and the dying; as fierce warriors who commanded troops on the frontlines; as spies, couriers, recruiters, educators, and organizers.

Like their male counterparts, these Filipina resistance fighters took on their share of the ordeals of war, enduring starvation and malaria in the mountains and jungles, risking life and limb for the love of their people and their country. They proved their mettle during those dark days, but why is it that their great feats of gallantry are not even recorded in history textbooks? While honors, awards and accolades have been heaped upon the men of the Philippine Resistance, it seems that the women fighters have remained obscure and forgotten. Calling on her extensive research, including interviews with some of the female fighters and their families, Desiree will tell the story of these remarkable women, and seeks to recover their forgotten history and honor them in the way that they deserve.

The Women of War Studies Part I

Our first panel event of the semester was a hugely inspiring and earnest conversation with three lecturers at our very own Department of War Studies. Professor Brooke Rogers, Dr Christine Cheng, and Dr Julia Pearce led us through their own career journeys - and shared helpful tips for tackling both professional and personal challenges, undertaking a PhD, and networking in the time of a global pandemic. The event received such positive feedback from the audience that WIWIP will host a second installment in January, keep an eye out on our Events page and social media!

Women in Terrorism and Counterterrorism

WIWIP’s first official event of the autumn semester was an interactive lecture with Dr Joana Cook, a King’s alumnae and author of A Woman’s Place: US Counterterrorism Since 9/11. Dr Cook is currently an assistant professor of Terrorism and Political Violence at Leiden University. Following an introductory talk on Dr Cook’s research on gender and (counter)terrorism - such as women’s roles in ISIS and gendered narratives in the War on Terror - we opened the floor to a Q&A, and enjoyed an extremely interesting discussion with over 50 participants. We look forward to following Dr Cook in the future, and highly reccommend her book for those interested in gender and terrorism!