CRRC, ARISC and American Councils are pleased to announce the 1st session of the Spring 2026 Tbilisi Works-in-Progress series!
This week’s session will be held in hybrid in-person at CRRC Georgia and in virtual format via this Zoom registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/s9dQ8Ts9Sdud6bgajtPtzw
“The E Book: Understanding and Harnessing a Woman’s Molecular Power”
Katie Rose Hejtmanek, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Wednesday, February 26, 2026 at 18:30 Tbilisi time (9:30 EST)
“Periods make women weak and irrational.” “Pregnancy puts women in danger.” “Men are more athletic and physically capable than women.” “Men have testosterone and women have estrogen.” One might be familiar with and believe these common phrases about human bodies. But anthropologists Katie Rose Hejtmanek and Cara Ocobock are here to explain why these statements are not only inaccurate but perpetuate dangerous myths about women’s capabilities based on their biology. In this presentation, Hejtmanek discusses her (and Ocobock’s) book-in-progress examining and refuting various myths about estrogen thereby revealing the astounding capacities of women’s bodies.
Katie Rose Hejtmanek, PhD is full professor of anthropology at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Cara Ocobock, PhD is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. Hejtmanek and Ocobock have collaborated on several research projects, integrating cultural and biological anthropological insights to understand the human condition. Hejtmanek will present on the co-authored book as she is currently in Georgia on a Fulbright Scholar Award.
**********************
Works-in-Progress is an ongoing academic discussion series based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that takes place at the CRRC office at Chavchavadze Ave. 5 and online. It is co-organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) Georgia, the American Councils for International Education, and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC). All of the talks are free and open to the public.
In observation of the spirit of the Chatham House Rule, the talks will not be recorded, and we courteously request that the other participants refrain from recording and/or distributing recordings as well or citing anything expressed therein in the press without explicit permission. The opinions expressed in WiP talks are those of the speakers alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of CRRC, ARISC or of American Councils.