Speech by Sergey Naryshkin, Chairman of the Russian Historical Society, at a round table dedicated to the contribution of women to the development of historical science and education.
First of all, I would like to congratulate the distinguished women participating in our meeting today on the upcoming International Women's Day! The topic of our round table has been formulated accordingly today, it is dedicated to the contribution of the beautiful half of humanity to Russian historical science, education and enlightenment.
Despite the fact that historiography was traditionally considered more of a masculine occupation, even in ancient Greece, the symbol of historical knowledge, the muse of Clio— acquired precisely feminine features. Working hard, making discoveries, and sometimes overcoming established stereotypes, hundreds of talented women over the past two centuries have left a noticeable mark on Russian historiography.
The gradual process of involving women in the study of the humanities is inextricably linked to the history of women's education. In 1764, the famous Smolny Institute was founded in St. Petersburg by Ivan Ivanovich Betsky, and after a while private boarding schools for women began to appear throughout the country.
Alexandra Osipovna Ishimova, a native of Kostroma, who can rightfully be called the first female historian in Russia, also became a pupil of one of these closed educational institutions. After reviewing her multi-volume "History of Russia in Stories for Children," Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin addressed an enthusiastic message to the author. I quote: "Today I accidentally opened yours."A story in stories,” and I couldn't help but read too much. That's how you should write!"
Women also made a significant contribution to the development of Russian archaeology. It is enough to recall here Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova, the first woman to be awarded the high title of honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. After marrying the famous historian Alexei Sergeevich Uvarov, Praskovya Sergeevna actively helped her husband in scientific work, and after his death she continued her research and headed the Moscow Archaeological Society. To this day, the good memory of this talented and caring woman is preserved both in the Historical Museum founded with her participation, and in the museum-reserve "Chersonesos-Tavrichesky", to the monuments of which Praskovya Sergeevna devoted a significant part of her life.
In the second half of the 19th century, the number of women seeking modern knowledge increased rapidly, and in 1872, the Moscow Higher Women's Courses opened their doors to them. Russian Russian Historical Society member Vladimir Ivanovich Guerrier, a well-known historian, took the initiative to create them, supported by his colleague, the famous scientist, member of the Imperial Russian Historical Society Sergei Mikhailovich Solovyov.
Dmitry Andreevich Tolstoy, Minister of National Education and, concurrently, founding member of the Russian Historical Society, gave his consent to conduct this educational experiment, which was bold at that time. I would like to add that six years later, in 1878, the famous Bestuzhevsky women's courses opened in St. Petersburg. Konstantin Nikolaevich Bestuzhev-Ryumin, also a member of the Imperial Council, became their first director.
Thus, it is fair to conclude that unconditional respect for female colleagues, as well as an unwavering willingness to help them, even if it requires serious administrative efforts, have been and remain a tradition for the male part of modern Russian historical society for more than a century.
Shortly after the 1917 revolution, Soviet Russia took its place in the global vanguard of women's emancipation. Recent restrictions on women's access to higher education have been lifted, opening the way for many talented researchers to enter science.
Subsequently, Militza Vasilyevna Nechkina, who played a huge role in the formation of Soviet historical science, Olga Antonovna Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya, who became the first woman in our country to receive a doctorate in general history, Anna Mikhailovna Pankratova, who headed the National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union, Natalia Ivanovna Basovskaya, who became famous as a talented popularizer of historical science, and along with them are many, many other women historians.
Today, women historians are fully involved in the study of our past, making a serious contribution to the preservation of national memory, the development of educational, archival and museum spheres. The composition of the participants in our round table speaks for itself in this sense. As you know, five women historians are on the Board of the Russian Historical Society, and 19 more head the boards of RIO regional offices throughout our country. So the conversation about the role of women in historical science is certainly relevant and promises to be not only festive, but also important from a scientific and practical point of view.
March 5, 2025, Moscow
First of all, I would like to congratulate the distinguished women participating in our meeting today on the upcoming International Women's Day! The topic of our round table has been formulated accordingly today, it is dedicated to the contribution of the beautiful half of humanity to Russian historical science, education and enlightenment.
Despite the fact that historiography was traditionally considered more of a masculine occupation, even in ancient Greece, the symbol of historical knowledge, the muse of Clio— acquired precisely feminine features. Working hard, making discoveries, and sometimes overcoming established stereotypes, hundreds of talented women over the past two centuries have left a noticeable mark on Russian historiography.
The gradual process of involving women in the study of the humanities is inextricably linked to the history of women's education. In 1764, the famous Smolny Institute was founded in St. Petersburg by Ivan Ivanovich Betsky, and after a while private boarding schools for women began to appear throughout the country.
Alexandra Osipovna Ishimova, a native of Kostroma, who can rightfully be called the first female historian in Russia, also became a pupil of one of these closed educational institutions. After reviewing her multi-volume "History of Russia in Stories for Children," Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin addressed an enthusiastic message to the author. I quote: "Today I accidentally opened yours."A story in stories,” and I couldn't help but read too much. That's how you should write!"
Women also made a significant contribution to the development of Russian archaeology. It is enough to recall here Praskovya Sergeevna Uvarova, the first woman to be awarded the high title of honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. After marrying the famous historian Alexei Sergeevich Uvarov, Praskovya Sergeevna actively helped her husband in scientific work, and after his death she continued her research and headed the Moscow Archaeological Society. To this day, the good memory of this talented and caring woman is preserved both in the Historical Museum founded with her participation, and in the museum-reserve "Chersonesos-Tavrichesky", to the monuments of which Praskovya Sergeevna devoted a significant part of her life.
In the second half of the 19th century, the number of women seeking modern knowledge increased rapidly, and in 1872, the Moscow Higher Women's Courses opened their doors to them. Russian Russian Historical Society member Vladimir Ivanovich Guerrier, a well-known historian, took the initiative to create them, supported by his colleague, the famous scientist, member of the Imperial Russian Historical Society Sergei Mikhailovich Solovyov.
Dmitry Andreevich Tolstoy, Minister of National Education and, concurrently, founding member of the Russian Historical Society, gave his consent to conduct this educational experiment, which was bold at that time. I would like to add that six years later, in 1878, the famous Bestuzhevsky women's courses opened in St. Petersburg. Konstantin Nikolaevich Bestuzhev-Ryumin, also a member of the Imperial Council, became their first director.
Thus, it is fair to conclude that unconditional respect for female colleagues, as well as an unwavering willingness to help them, even if it requires serious administrative efforts, have been and remain a tradition for the male part of modern Russian historical society for more than a century.
Shortly after the 1917 revolution, Soviet Russia took its place in the global vanguard of women's emancipation. Recent restrictions on women's access to higher education have been lifted, opening the way for many talented researchers to enter science.
Subsequently, Militza Vasilyevna Nechkina, who played a huge role in the formation of Soviet historical science, Olga Antonovna Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya, who became the first woman in our country to receive a doctorate in general history, Anna Mikhailovna Pankratova, who headed the National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union, Natalia Ivanovna Basovskaya, who became famous as a talented popularizer of historical science, and along with them are many, many other women historians.
Today, women historians are fully involved in the study of our past, making a serious contribution to the preservation of national memory, the development of educational, archival and museum spheres. The composition of the participants in our round table speaks for itself in this sense. As you know, five women historians are on the Board of the Russian Historical Society, and 19 more head the boards of RIO regional offices throughout our country. So the conversation about the role of women in historical science is certainly relevant and promises to be not only festive, but also important from a scientific and practical point of view.
March 5, 2025, Moscow