Exclusion of Women Auditors from Russian Universities by Minister A. N. Schwarz and Public Reaction in 1908

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the expulsion of women auditors from universities in the Russian Empire in 1908, initiated by Minister of Education A. N. Schwartz. The women auditors were the first women admitted to higher education institutions on an equal basis to men in 1906. Considering the conflict over their expulsion, we examine the nature of the problem and emphasize the importance of universities as spaces that promote social integration. The ban on the admission of female students to universities encountered resistance from expelled women who sought to organize widespread protests and raise awareness of their predicament in the public sphere by establishing contacts with newspaper reporters, deputies and professors. The article analyzes the strategies used by the affected women auditors and the active participation of university councils, State Duma deputies and journalists in the campaign to restore women in higher education institutions. The study reveals the reactions of various stakeholders and highlights the importance of universities as platforms for integration that went beyond the limitations imposed by nationalism and ethnicity. This is evidenced by the absence of certain topics in the discussion about the expulsion of women auditors, such as the Jewish origin of many female students, which indicates the willingness of the public to ignore Jewish origin as a basis for discrimination.