Thursday, October 12, 10:30 am–12:30 pm
session will be recorded and available for later viewing online
Chair: Russell Frank (Penn State University)
10:30 am
A People’s Cyber War: Ukraine’s Digital Folklore and Popular Mobilization
Lada Kolomiyets (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv)
11:00 am
Fairy tale framing of the war in Ukraine
Sophia Moskalenko (Georgia State University)
11:30 am
From Crimea River to the Headache Meme: Examining Uses of Humor in the Ukraine War
Bradley E. Wiggins (Webster Vienna Private University )
12:00 pm
Ukraine and Women Warriors: The Mavka Folkloric Tradition Brought to Life
Mia Bloom ()
When Vladmir Putin launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian tanks were widely expected to quickly roll into Kyiv, topple the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and reabsorb Ukraine into a latter-day Russian empire. More than a year later, the Ukrainians have fought the Russians to a virtual standstill. Through it all, Ukrainians have used social media to chronicle the war, counter Russian propaganda, grieve, laugh, and above all, support each other through a difficult time. This panel will explore the contemporary memes and repurposed folklore that the war has inspired.