"Institutrice, femme et mère" : idées sur l'éducation des femmes grecques au XIXème siècle (1830-1880)
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Abstract EN:
This thesis analyses the ideas concerning women's education during the first fifty years of the independent greek state. The liberal atmosphere of the national revolution (1821), the echoes of the englightment, the influence of phihellenes (for exemple protestant missionaries who created girl's schools in greece) and - mainly - the dominant ideology of breaking with the oriental past of "despotism and ignorance" have encouraged the emergence of an egalitarian dialogue supporting women's right to attend school (in 1834 the primary level of girl's education is institutionalized and made obligatory just as for boys). Some greek intellectuals seem concerned with the role of mothers or "companions" of the "(future) free citizens", but they clearly perceive the objective of girl's instruction as different from that of "future citizens". By the years 1860, through the influence of medical theories concerning the "specificity" of "womens nature", the notion of difference between the two sexes becomes more "rationalized"; and the model "call" of women, their domestic "mission", is re-defined: future mothers, "natural pedagogues", would be the first to educate the very young childhood and to transmit the national ideology to their progeny. The specificity of girls' education be comes a matter of special though, on the basis of "the superior qualities" of "woman nature", an "elevated and profound" instruction for women is justified. However, this process shuts women into the domestic sphere and provides arguments in order to fight
Abstract FR:
Ce travail analyse le discours sur l'education feminine pendant les cinquante premieres annees de l'etat grec. Le climat liberal du soulevement national (1821), l'echo des lumieres, l'influence des philhellenes progressistes et l'ideologie dominante de rupture avec le passe oriental du "despotisme et d'ignorance" ont permis l'apparition d'un discours egalitaire prechant le droit des femmes a s'instruire. Bien que ce discours temoigne d'une volonte de faire evoluer les meres epouses "des (futurs) citoyens libres", l'instruction feminine est clairement percue comme differente par rapport a celle des citoyens. A partir des annees 1860, cette idee de la difference parait plus elaboree : suivant la pensee occidentale sur la "specificite" biologique-psychologique de la "nature feminine", on redefinit "rationnellemnt" la "vocation" sociale de la femme dans le prive; de meme, on tend a normaliser la specificite de l'instruction des femmes, "pedagogues par nature" et seules competences pour former la petite enfance. La demarche est ambivalente : au nom des "qualites morales superieures" de la "nature feminine", on valorise pour la premiere fois aussi intensement la mission sociale des femmes et meme leur droit a une instruction "elevee" et "profonde", mais en meme temps on construit l'ideologie de leur enfermement dans le prive et donc, en insistant sur les dangers du savoir pour la femme, on s'oppose vivement a un phenomene naissant dans les annees 1860 70 : la femme intellectuelle, la femme qui accede a la sphere publique a travers l'ecriture, domaine jusqu'alors reserve aux hommes.