"I WROTE DOWN EVERYTHING I FELT IN MY HEART OF HEARTS...": A COLLECTION OF AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF RURAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TEACHERS FROM THE KAZAN PROVINCE

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УДК 94(47).093.2

ZHELEZNYAKOVA YU.E., KAZAN, RUSSIAN FEDERATION

"I WROTE DOWN EVERYTHING I FELT IN MY HEART OF HEARTS...": A COLLECTION OF AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF RURAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TEACHERS FROM THE KAZAN PROVINCE

Abstract

The article is devoted to analysis of the collection of autobiographies written by teachers of primary schools of Chistopol and Yadrin uyezds ofthe Kazangubernia in 1880s. The collection is stored in the Manuscripts and Rare BooksDepartment of the N.I.Lobachevsky Scientific Library of the Kazan (Volga Region) FederalUniversity. Autobiography,a bureaucratic documentfor all intents and purposes, nevertheless contains information allowing reconstruct socio-psychological image of a teacher andtheir daily life, and thus adds to the history of primary schools and that ofthe Russian peasantry as well. Teachershad to write autobiographies for further submission to public schoolsinspector. The purpose of such autobiographies was employment-related:theysupplied information on the teachers’ origin, education and previous places of employmentto the educational authorities. From text of someautobiographies it clearly follows that teachers were answering questions posed by an inspector. Autobiographiesmust have beenclosely examined by an inspector, as there are corrections and stylistic editing, and also notes in the margins, all of which require further study. Every autobiography reports attitude of villagers towards school, teacher, and education. Some assess teaching manuals and methods of education. An integral feature of all autobiographies as a source is their inherent subjectivity. However, this quality proves most valuable when working on a topic related to study of man. Autobiographies speak with living voices of the teachers telling of their attitudes, values, and problems. All in all, this collection of autobiographies of rural schools teachers is a valuable historical source that contains unique informationon formation and development of national school. Teachers having sentimentalized reality, autobiographies show how the reality was perceived.

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Keywords

Historical source, collection of autobiographies of primary schoolteachers, Zemstvo school, folk school, daily life.

References

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About author

Zheleznyakova Yulia Evgenievna, PhD in History, associate professor of the management department of the Kazan State Power Engineering University, Kazan, Russian Federation, +7-843-519-42-91, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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