In Invisible Revolutionaries, Olena Nikolayenko reveals the often-overlooked role of women in contemporary revolutions. Focusing on the 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, the book explores the many ways women participated in civil resistance—beyond their visible presence in protest spaces – and how they shaped the struggle for national independence and democratic development.

Drawing on surveys and oral history, Nikolayenko traces women’s motivations, forms of activism, and the lasting impact of their engagement in Ukraine’s pivotal recent history. 

The book was published by Cambridge University Press in April 2025.

Olena Nikolayenko is Professor of Political Science at Fordham University and an associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. Her research focuses on social movements, political behavior in non-democratic regimes, and post-communist politics.

*This event forms part of the research colloquium “War, Democracy, and Civic Agency in Ukraine and Beyond", convened by Dr. Olena Rybiy at the Department of Political Science.