Ukrainians have responded to Russia's aggression against their country in consequential ways. In her presentation, Greta Uehling will discuss the highly conscious and creative ways non-combatants engage in what she calls "everyday war." Based on her ethnographic research in Ukraine, Uehling will describe how this everyday war prompted moral thinking about human vulnerabilities. She will explore the improvised ethics of care that arise in a context in which moral rules and international humanitarian law have been upended. Uehling’s recently released book and her talk will demonstrate the insights that can be gained when studies of war and conflict include consideration of families, friendships, and subjective experience.

Greta Uehling is a cultural anthropologist whose current project explores the subjective experience of military conflict in Ukraine. In 2014, Uehling received a Fulbright scholar grant that enabled her to do ethnographic fieldwork over three summers in Ukraine and lead to the publication of "Everyday War: The Conflict over Donbas, Ukraine" (Cornell University Press, 2023). The book bridges the fields of anthropology, international relations, political geography, and peace and conflict studies. A CREES faculty associate, Uehling teaches for the Program in International and Comparative Studies and Anthropology at the University of Michigan.

This lecture will be presented in person in 555 Weiser Hall and on Zoom. Webinar registration required at http://myumi.ch/1AgeV.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at weisercenter@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.