Women Under Suspicion: Sabotage, Espionage, and Ideological Corruption

What did it mean to be a "socially dangerous" woman under Soviet law? Join the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies for a special discussion of Women Under Suspicion: Fraternization, Espionage, and Punishment in the Soviet Union During World War II with the author Regina Kazyulina, Assistant Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Salem State College. In her book, Dr. Kazyulina shows how long-standing norms of gendered behavior and stereotypes that cast women as morally weak, politically fallible, and sexually tempting meant that women in the Soviet army or living behind enemy lines were viewed with skepticism, seen as weak points easily exploited by the enemy, despite supposed equality in the Soviet Union. By reading official reports against the grain and incorporating rare personal documents, Kazyulina provides a multifaceted study of the realities for non-Jewish Soviet women—in the army or resistance, or at home in occupied territories—during and after Nazi occupation. The discussion with Dr. Kazyulina will be facilitated by Prof. Lisa DiGiovanni, Cohen Institute Specialist for 2025-2026, as part of the Cohen Institute’s year-long series on gender and genocide.

This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. [Registration link coming soon.]

This event is part of the 2025-2026 series on "Gender and Genocide" being offered by the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College. Speakers in this series represent a wide range of scholarly research and views; our guests' perspectives should not be taken as representative of the Cohen Institute or Keene State College as a whole. The lecture is made possible through donor funding. If you would like to make a gift to support this lecture or other Institute offerings, please visit our website.

This event is part of the Cohen Center calendar.