The Diaries of M. L. Kazem-Bek as a Source on the History of the Daily Life of an Educated Urban Woman of the Late 19th – Early 20th Century

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2025-1/189-199

Authors

Keywords:

women's daily life, Maria Kazem-Bek, the source of everyday life, diaries, ego documents

Abstract

The article examines and analyzes the diaries of an educated St. Petersburg woman M. L. Kazem-Bek (1855–1918). As a personal document, the diaries of Maria Kazem-Bek provide a unique look at her thoughts, feelings and events that she experienced in her daily life. In addition, the woman's notes reveal details of her daily routine, including activities, reading, attending events, communicating with friends and family members. The analysis of M. L. Kazem-Bek's diaries allows to understand how educated urban women of that time carried out their self-expression, overcame social restrictions, and combined family responsibilities and self-realization. They also helped to reveal aspects of an educated woman's daily life that were previously little known.

Author Biography

  • Каролина Koval, the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology

    Koval, Karolina S. — Postgraduate Student, the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail:  karolinakoval@yandex.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0786-9986

    For citation: Koval, K. S. 2025.  The Diaries of M. L. Kazem-Bek as a Source on the History of the Daily Life of an Educated Urban Woman of the Late 19th – Early 20th Century. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 1: 189–199.

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Published

15.03.2025

Issue

No. 1 (2025): Вестник антропологии

Section

The Anthropology of Gender