![Alma Söderhjelm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Alma_S%C3%B6derhjelm.jpg)
Alma Söderhjelm (10 May 1870 – 16 March 1949) was a
Swedish-speaking Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
historian and the first female professor in Finland.
Academic career
After gaining an M.A. in history, Söderhjelm spent three years in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, preparing her doctoral thesis under the supervision of
Alphonse Aulard Alphonse may refer to:
* Alphonse (given name)
* Alphonse (surname)
* Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group
See also
*Alphons
*Alfonso (disambiguation) Alfonso (and variants Alphonso, Afonso, Alphons, and Alphonse) i ...
. This was a study of journalism during the French Revolution and it was published as ''Le Régime de la presse pendant la Révolution française''.
She was awarded a doctorate in 1900.
On the basis of this thesis, the university unanimously proposed to award her a lectureship. This appointment was delayed until 1906, because of political concern over her father and her brother. The Emperor was also concerned that if a woman became a lecturer in Finland, the same demand would be made in Russia.
In 1906, she finally became the first female lecturer in Finland. She stayed in this position until 1927. At this point, she became chair of General History at
Åbo Akademi University
Åbo Akademi University ( sv, Åbo Akademi , ) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activiti ...
, and thus the first female professor in Finland.
Her academic work also involved editing the correspondence of the
French Queen Marie Antoinette with the Swedish nobleman von Fersen and with some French revolutionaries.
Other activities
Söderhjelm worked as a journalist, writing a column for the newspaper ''
Åbo Underrättelser
''Åbo Underrättelser'' is a Swedish language newspaper published in Turku ( sv, Åbo), Finland.
History and profile
''Åbo Underrättelser'' is the oldest newspaper still in print in Finland, founded by Christian Ludvig Hjelt in 1823. The fir ...
''. She also wrote novels, poetry, and a five-volume memoir.
She co-wrote the screenplay for ''
The Blizzard
"The Blizzard" (or The Snow Storm) (russian: Мете́ль, ''Metél' '') is the second of five short stories that constitute ''The Belkin Tales'' by Alexander Pushkin. The manuscript for the story was originally completed October 20, 1830. It wa ...
'' (1923), directed by
Mauritz Stiller
Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Swedish film director of Finnish Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America.
Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film ...
.
Söderhjelm was politically active. She smuggled journals into Finland from Sweden, and helped military volunteers to move from Sweden into Germany.
Söderhjelm, Alma (1870 - 1949)
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References
External links
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*
Alma Söderhjelm in 375 humanists – 27 April 2015. Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki.
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Soderhjelm, Alma
1870 births
1949 deaths
Historians of the French Revolution
Finnish women historians
Finnish women academics
Swedish-speaking Finns
Academic staff of Åbo Akademi University
20th-century Finnish historians