Peacebuilding with Women in Ukraine Using Narrative to Envision a Common Future

This is a significant work that relates the process of creating peace in the midst of difficult international and political tensions. Scholars and activists concerned with social action, social justice, and women's issues on a global scale will find in this work not only an engaging story, but also a model that can shape future projects aimed at building bridges across great divides. This is a model study of emancipatory change that provides important insight into not only the challenges of such work, but also the possibilities for nurturing hope and real social change toward human liberation and justice. -- Peggy Chinn, University of Connecticut Flaherty's research and paradigm study of Ukraine's women, with their hopes and aspirations for peace building and civil society, reveal a most creative force for change in contemporary Ukraine. -- Roman Yereniuk, University of Manitoba This book opens the door into the life stories of Ukrainian women from two different regions, whose gripping and colorful narratives weave a rich tapestry of adaptation, resiliency, and humor that sustained them during war, communism, perestroika, and the transition to independence. Using methodologies that allow for deep and trustful story-sharing, Dr.Flaherty draws gendered insights into the peacebuilding resources found in these women's commitments to their family, communities, and forging of a new civic identity. -- Janie Leatherman, Fairfield University