Event Calendar Listing
Tuesday, April 24 - Sunday, April 29

The war in Iraq has dramatically altered the political arena in the U.S., making it a key issue for debate in Washington, D.C. and potentially a pivotal concern in the 2008 presidential elections.  Most discussions of the war have focused on the politics behind the military action as well as the human costs. There has been little sustained debate on the role women, sexuality and gender politics have played in the lead up to the war, in combat zones, or in their aftermath. 

This symposium will highlight how women and men experience war differently, and the impact wars have on society. In particular, participants will explore how gender operates in all aspects pertaining to war - the preparations leading up to war, the battlefield, the aftermath, and resistance movements. According to symposium organizers, war tends to been seen as the work of men while women are considered victims, bearing the impact in their capacity as mothers, sisters, wives and daughters.  This symposium is designed to break down these stereotypes and unmask the realities.

Events include lectures, theatre performances, film screenings and panel discussions, and all are free and open to the public.

The symposium is sponsored by the Gensler Family Fund and several Middlebury College organizations, including the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Chellis House, the Office for Institutional Diversity, the Academic Enrichment Fund, the Departments of Geography and History, the Program in American Studies’ Spiegel Family Fund, the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs and the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life.

For more information, contact Karin Hanta, director of Chellis House, at khanta@middlebury.edu or 802-443-5937.
  
Schedule of Events:

Tuesday, April 24
7:30 p.m.
“Women and War,” a one- woman theatrical performance with Deborah Lubar offering a global perspective on the impact of war on women’s lives - as victims or rescuers, as activists, peace-makers, soldiers and home-makers.
Room 005 in Le Chateau, located on Chateau Road off College Street (Route 125)

Thursday, April 26
4:30 p.m.
“Coming of Age in War,” a student panel discussion.
McCullough Social Space, located on Old Chapel Road off College Street (Route 125)

7 p.m.
“The War Tapes,” a screening of the 2006 film that documents March 2004, just as the insurgent movement strengthened, when several members of one National Guard unit arrived in Iraq with cameras. “The War Tapes” is a uniquely collaborative film from a team that includes director Deborah Scranton, producer Robert May (“The Fog of War”) and producer and editor Steve James (“Hoop Dreams”).
Middlebury College Library Room 201, located on Storrs Avenue off South Main Street (Route 30)

Friday, April 27
10 a.m.
“Surviving War,” a series of lectures as follows:

“Form 8: Juridical, Political, and Cultural Obstacles to Accountability for Sexual Crimes in Darfur,” with Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf, a Sudanese anthropologist and senior research associate at the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at Brown University.

“Women Mobilizing against Sexual Violence during the War in Western Balkans,” with Indira Kajosevic, a consultant to state and civil society activists in gender related programs and advocacy.

“Sexual Violence During War: Prosecution by the International Courts,” with Eileen Meier, a lawyer and health-care activist from Washington, D.C.
Gifford Lounge, located on College Street (Route 125)

2 p.m.
“Making War,” a series of lectures as follows:

“Gender and Jihad in Kashmir: Women as Perpetrators, Planners and Patrons of Militancy,” with Swati Parashar, a former research analyst with the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore.

“Sex, Sadism, and Citizenship in the U.S. War on Terror,” with Holly Allen, an assistant professor in the Middlebury College Program in American Studies.

“From Burqas to Bikinis: White Women’s Burden and ‘The Afghani Woman’,” with Sanjukta Ghosh, an associate professor in the communications and women’s studies programs at Castleton College.

“Imperialism, Conquest, and Masculinity: An Elephant in the Living Room,” with Stan Goff, author of “Sex & War” (Lulu, 2006) and “Hideous Dream: A Soldier’s Memoir of the U.S. Invasion of Haiti” (Soft Skull, 2000).
Robert A. Jones ‘59 Conference Room, located on Hillcrest Road off College Street (Route 125)

7 p.m.
“Resisting War,” a series of lectures as follows:

“Peace Has No Borders,” a work-in-progress film excerpt shared by Deb Ellis, a visiting professor in the Middlebury College Film and Media Studies Program and an award-winning independent film and video maker and educator.

“A Mother Survives War,” with Nancy Brown, an elementary school teacher from Rochester, Vt., who co-founded the organization “Vermont Families Speak Out” when her son served in Iraq.
Redfield Proctor Dining Room, located on Hepburn Road off College Street (Route 125)

Sunday, April 29
3 p.m.

“Ahlaam,” a screening of the 2004 film about the confusion, uncertainty and death that engulfs the bombed ruins of a psychiatric asylum in Baghdad in 2003. Ahlaam, a bewildered young woman, is committed to an asylum after witnessing the violent arrest of her fiancé on their wedding day. Deeply bruised, she lives a confined existence in a state of delusion and is left with little hope.
Dana Auditorium, located in Sunderland Language Center on College Street (Route 125)