Late in March in , years of rising tension between Croats and Serbs erupted into violence when police and soldiers opened fire on civilian dissidents, resulting in what many agree were the first two deaths of the Yugoslav Wars.
In the years to follow, tens of thousands more would lose their lives in a series of conflicts across the region. Beverly Allen for an interview about her experiences studying the treatment of women and the roles that patriarchy played during these international wars, as well as the ramifications that her discoveries still hold for us today.
Please note that this episode contains some challenging content— during our interview we discuss forms of violence, including the use of rape and torture. Take care of yourselves accordingly. Our Guest. Beverly Allen. Recipient of numerous awards and prizes, she held the William P.
So, I had seen your bio before I started your class, and I was really intrigued about your work in Bosnia and Croatia, and the book that you wrote about rape as a weapon of war. I thought it was interesting that a professor of literature and languages had contributed and made such a huge and meaningful contribution in this topic that seemed kind of like a different field, like more sociology. So could you just lead us into the topic by telling us how you encountered this topic in the first place?
Beverly Allen: Absolutely. You know, I agree that it seems unusual that a literature professor should become interested in and work in this topic. It happened at Stanford. I was teaching a course on the history of Italian literature and, of course, when you teach such a course you have to provide a critique of the canon.
