Dr. Valanzola will discuss sexual violence as a weapon of war, looking at how it was taboo to discuss until the post-WWII era when women themselves started addressing it. She will look at how attitudes, ideas, and repercussions have changed since then and also consider recent events worldwide and what these changes (or lack of changes) mean for us in the 21st century.

In response to The Gund’s presentation of Nancy Spero’s Maypole: Take No Prisoners exhibition and the artist’s lifelong commitment to feminist and anti-war art and activism, we are hosting a semester-long program series exploring the gendered dynamics of war and militarism. Engage with scholars, writers, and artists specializing in fields focused on the intersection and interdependence of gender and war. Topics may include symbols and victims of war, gender as a lived experience in war, and the symbolic expression of gender in war. These programs create opportunities for dialogue on the deeply gendered social and political influences shaping war and allow us, as an academic community, to explore a better understanding of the realities of war in the contemporary moment.