To the Roots of Women’s Education in the Bohemian Lands | Milada Sekyrková (ed.), Minerva 1890–1936. Kronika prvního dívčího gymnázia v habsburské monarchii, Prague: Karolinum, 402 pp.

To he Roo s o Women’s Educa ion in he Bohemian Lands Milada Seky ko á (ed.), Mine a 1890–1936. K onika p ního dí čího gymnázia habs- bu ské mona chii, P ague: ka olinum, 402 pp. Following awo ldwide end in his o iog aphy, ecen decades ha e seen asu ge o in e es in he his o y o Czech women. A e being le on he ma gins o aca- demic esea ch, he ocus u ns mos ly on he aspec s o women’s his o y c ucial o he eminism, in compa ison wi h o he pa s o he Habsbu g mona chy de eloped ea ly. Following mo e b oadly concei ed wo ks documen ing he de elopmen o women’s poli ical, economical and socie al s a us and, mo e ecen ly, women’s expe- ience, o equal impo ance is publica ions dedica ed o pa icula ins i u ions and pe sonali ies o eminis mo emen . The book „Mine a 1890–1936. K onika p ního dí čího gymnázia habsbu ské mona chii [Mine a 1890–1936. The annals o he i s gi ls’ g amma school in he Habsbu g mona chy] is an edi ed ansc ip ion o an impo an esou ce o s udy- ing ahis o y o women’s educa ion in he Lands o he Bohemian C own, he annals o he i s Czech women’s g amma school.1 Mine a, he i s women’s g amma school in he Cen al Eu ope, was ounded a e se e al unsuccess ul a emp s by he Women’s Manu ac u ing Associa ion, he ounding commi ee included well-known names o he Czech women’s mo emen like Ka olína S ě lá and Eliška K ásnoho - ská. The ime pe iod o he ea ly 1890s was no pa icula ly o hcoming o he ma - e s o gi ls’ educa ion— nei he Czech no Ge man uni e si y allowed women o be en olled as o icial s uden s and none o he exis ing women’s highe educa ion ins i u ions we e licensed o issue ama u i a ce i ica e which was an obliga o y p e- equisi e o uni e si y en olmen . The s uggle o ge women’s educa ion acknowl- edged as equal in impo ance as men’s was adis inc i e issue in he i s decades o Mine a’s exis ence. Despi e i s signi icance, so a he e has been no singula publica ion dedica ed o Mine a. The con ex in which he annals a e mean o be ead and unde s ood is p o ided by he in oduc ion. I includes asho o e iew o he gene al his o y o women’s educa ion in he Bohemian lands, a ecoun o p e ious e o s in es ablish- ing an acc edi ed ins i u ion o highe educa ion o women and men ions o no able ounde s and g adua es o Mine a. The in oduc ion is by no means exhaus i e; p e- ious knowledge o Czech women’s his o y is ad an ageous, as he ex o en uses e ms wi hou comp ehensi e explana ion, e.g. di e ences be ween a ious ypes o con empo a y highe educa ion. Despi e his ac , i se es as he unique compac ou line o Mine a’s es ablishmen , de elopmen , signi icance and legacy se in he social and poli ical backg ound o he in-de-siècle and in e wa Bohemia. Hi he o unci ed documen s o he p o enance o he P ague Ci y A chi es and he Cha les 1 The use o he o iginally B i ish e m g amma school seems like he closes e m o speci ic Czech gymnázium, which was used o label an ins i u ion o highe educa ion, whose p i- ma y pu pose was o p epa e s uden s o con inuing hei s udies on auni e si y. OPEN ACCESS 78 WISOHIM/ESHP 25 Uni e si y A chi es also o e new ac ual in o ma ion as well as possibly new in- e p e a ions and di e signi ican ly om he sou ces o pe sonal na u e ha ha e domina ed he esea ch. The appendix includes acomp ehensi e and help ul name egis e wi h aglossa y and he able con aining he numbe s o Mine a’s s uden s h oughou he yea s and an o e iew o i s di ec o s. A aluable pa o he publica- ion is apho og aphy appendix which b ings he eade he iew o selec ed pages o he annals, he buildings in which school’s educa ion ook place and eaching s a . E en hough he annals hemsel es a e no an engaging ead, keeping o i m, consis en s uc u e and o e ing only cu in o ma ion spa se o any pe sonal inpu o assessmen , ne e heless hey a e a aluable sou ce o in o ma ion conce ning he ins i u ional backg ound o Mine a. In addi ion, o a eade wi h su icien p io knowledge o he con ex and skilled in eading comp ehension i also se es as an o e iew o o e ime changes in educa ion sys em and app oach as well as e- lec ions o social and poli ical changes in u bulen decades he annals co e in he choices o subjec s augh o memo able days celeb a ed. Fo ins ance, he gene al public’s opinion on he ma e s o women’s highe educa ion and hei ole in public space is easily disce nible. Fo example, on p.41 he e is asho , bu elling ecoun o inciden , when he school was o ced o a oiding collec i e a endance in he Sunday Masses and e en he impo an Co pus Ch is i Mass because o ising numbe o nega i e eac ions om (p edominan ly male) chu ch isi o s, leading o cancelling collec i e a endance (common o boys’ highe schools) and encou aging indi idual a endance wi h amily membe s. Conside ing he span o yea s co e ed by he an- nals, i is possible o ace he ans o ma ions o public’s s ance on women’s educa- ion and ole on he job ma ke h ough he decades. The lea ning concep ion was also changing acco dingly o socie al demand; while in he i s yea s he cu iculum was ocused exclusi ely on knowledge and skills necessa y o uni e si y en olmen (an- cien La in and G eek) and dis ibu ed o signi ican ly sho e ime han he cu icu- lum o boys’ highe schools wi h unde lined in en ion o p o e gi ls we e equally capable o ob aining highe educa ion, in he in e wa pe iod he subjec s eaching mo e ma ke able skills, like wide a ie y o li ing languages, sho hand and e en handic a s and needlewo k, a e augh o sa is y highe demand o women employ- able in adminis a ion and s a e se ice jobs wi hou auni e si y deg ee. As Iha e al eady sugges ed, he publica ion o he annals o he Mine a g am- ma school b ings o wa d an impo an sou ce documen no only o he esea ch o he mode n his o y o women’s educa ion in he Bohemian lands, bu also o he gene al esea ch o he women’s his o y and social his o y o co e ed pe iod. While i is ce ainly no an in oduc o y publica ion and a he ex ensi e p e ious knowledge on he opic is ecommended, bo h he in oduc ion by he edi o Milada Seky ko á and he ansc ip ion o annals a e aluable con ibu ions o he cu en esea ch in he ield o Czech women’s his o y. Michaela Smido á OPEN ACCESS