Maria Bezobrazova’s Works: the Background of Gender Researches in Russia
Keywords:
Maria Bezobrazova, Russian philosophy, women’s issue, gender inequality, the rights of women protection, gender and morality, “pure morality”Abstract
The article considers one of important aspect of Maria Bezobrazova’s creative work (1857–1914),
who was the first Russian woman – a professional philosopher. Bezobrazova upheld the principles of
women‘s self-dependence and releasing from the “man’s appendage” role. She promoted idea of the
consistent social-cultural women’s self-development and self-realization. Raising objections against
the socialist ideas based on general equality in poverty and social limitations, Bezobrazova formulated
the main social-philosophical, psychological and sociological problems which are a subject of modern
gender researches, for example, she revealed different forms of obvious and latent exploitation of
women, researched the problems of patriarchal family ruining, and ethno-cultural difficulties in
forming psychological and social women’s independency. As a talented philosopher and ethicist,
Bezobrazova created her own “ethical idealism”, the “pure morality” system, based on the peculiar
interpretation of Kant’s “categorical imperative”. Bezobrazova based her philosophical position in the
field of a women’s issue on the concepts of fairness, integrity, sincerity, duty, and responsibility. She
insisted on the living, efficacious work in the women’s movement, and participated in the organization
and working of Russian Women’s Mutual Charity Society (1895) and Ethics Society (1910).
