Sekenova O.I. Strategies for the self-realization of women scientists in Russian medieval studies in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries [Digital Resource] // Vox medii aevi. 2024. Vol. 1(10). P.14−28. URL: http://voxmediiaevi.com/2024-1-sekenova/ DOI: 10.24412/2587-6619-2024-1-14-28 > Download the article

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Olga Sekenova

Candidate of Science (History), Research Fellow of Gender Studies Department, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences jkzkray@mail.ru

Strategies for the self-realization of women scientists in Russian medieval studies in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries

The article discusses the strategies of self-realization of the representatives of the St. Petersburg school of medieval studies in the second half of the 19th to early 20th centuries during the transformation of Russian historical science. It focuses on the influence of I.M. Grevs on involving women in professional scientific work through the Higher Women’s Courses system, highlighting female-specific challenges in building an academic career due to restrictions on higher education employment and scientific certification barriers. The author concludes that the primary strategy for women scientists self-realization in the pre-revolutionary era was based on the St. Petersburg Higher Women’s Courses. Talented female students, supported by supervisors, could stay for further study, with some sent abroad to gain experience in archives under European specialists and earn academic credentials. Scientific leaders then advocated for their female students to become lecturers at the Higher Women’s Courses, contributing to reducing gender disparities among Russian medievalists in the early 20th century. The Russian revolution disrupted this system, leading many successful female medievalists to either relocate to provincial areas or switch fields due to ideological differences. Some transitioned to teaching foreign languages or pedagogy, while others pursued careers in museums, archives, or libraries. Despite these challenges, only a few female researchers chose to emigrate from Soviet Russia post-1917, with most adapting to the new Soviet scientific environment successfully. Keywords: А.D. Lublinskaya; A.I. Khomentovskaya; Higher Women’s Courses; E.Ch. Skrzhinskaya; women historians; women scientists; I.I. Lubimenko; I.M. Grevs; O.A. Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya; St. Petersburg School of Medieval Studies; Social History of Science; St. Petersburg State University.

FOR CITATION Секенова О.И. Стратегии самореализации женщин-ученых в отечественной медиевистике второй половины XIX — начала ХХ в. [Digital Resource] [Sekenova O.I. Strategies for the self-realization of women scientists in Russian medieval studies in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries] // Vox medii aevi. 2024. Vol. 1(10). P. 14−28. URL: http://voxmediiaevi.com/2024-1-sekenova/