Comments on: Strange academic women

By: Ingrid Piller

Ingrid Piller — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 01:25:30 +0000

In reply to Stefan Ehrenkreutz. Thank you for your comment! Neither the post nor the article it is based on make, in fact, a claim about how she felt about her Polishness but about how she was perceived. I think it would be very surprising for an exceptional woman like Cezaria, who was so obviously ahead of her time, not to be thought of as "strange" by others ... it's a real shame that so little of her work is accessible in English! Here's another opportunity for a volunteer translator to translate those memoirs you mention! :-) Language on the Move would be a great place to publish a translation!

By: Stefan Ehrenkreutz

Stefan Ehrenkreutz — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 22:56:44 +0000

I am Cezaria B. de Courtenay Jedrzejewicz’s grandson. While I am happy for my grandmother to be noticed, there are serious problems with some of the statements made here. It is a sheer fantasy to regard my grandmother as an outsider to Polishness. She totally identified with Polishness and would have ben profoundly offended if regarded as anything else. Her memoirs published in bits in the Polish émigré press by my father, her son, demonstrate this (eg. her description of their Christmas in Tartu which was entirely celebrated in a Polish fashion despite her father’s anti-clericalism). Her Vassmer marriage was dissolved due to sexual reasons. She was closely connected to Pilsudski circles ( her 3rd husband had been Prime Minister). Her statements to me as a boy suggest that she was somewhat involved in the rebellious (perhaps now considered terrorist) activities of the Pilsudski followers pre-World War I. She became a full professor in Warsaw to some significant degree because of her close political affiliations with the Polish dictatorship of that time–even her 2nd husband, my grandfather Stefan Ehrenkreutz, was a member of the Polish Senate from the so-called ‘Non-Party Block of Co-operation with the Government’ “Party”. The Swedish article is full of wishful fantasies trying to fit my grandmother into their theoretical premises. What of all the Bagnicki’s, Korzybski’s, Dobrzynski’s in her ancestry? In London, she basically only had contact with Polish emigres.

By: vikchka9

vikchka9 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:17:38 +0000

In reply to Ingrid Piller. I see. And unfortunately I can't read Polish. Is there any other source you would recommend where I might find this article?

By: Ingrid Piller

Ingrid Piller — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:10:01 +0000

In reply to Olya Belenkaya. Dear Olya, I wish there were but I'm afraid not. We have translated posts into Armenian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Persian in the past and it would be great to find a volunteer to translate this post into Russian! :-) There is a biography of Cezaria Baudouin de Courtenay in Polish if that helps: Zamojska, Dorota (1996) Cezaria Baudouin de Courtenay Ehrenkreutz–Jedrzejewiczowa. In Zarnowska Anna and Szwarc, Andrzej (eds.) Kobieta i kultura, pp. 157–72. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo DiG.

By: Olya Belenkaya

Olya Belenkaya — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:53:31 +0000

Is there a Russian translation of this article? I would like to read it in Russian because my English is not very good. Thank you.

By: azade

azade — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:03:04 +0000

A very thought-provoking post. Thank you so much.

By: Zainab

Zainab — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:42:11 +0000

Ingrid, thank you for posting this inspirational story. Determination and belief in one’s aim really matters if one want to make a difference.
Zainab (Karachi, Pakistan)

By: Arshad Baig (Karachi, Pakistan)

Arshad Baig (Karachi, Pakistan) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:41:13 +0000

Thank you very much for sharing such inspirational story. I think Cezaria was a courageous woman who went through extremely difficult times in life, but she always maintained her strong spirit and her inspiring sense of humor. Their is a lesson of motivation, brevity, commitment and love for your work.

By: khan

khan — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:35:40 +0000

Thanks for sharing the life hisotry of Cezaria. The post offers an excellent example on what I will say as as dent on normativity. The norms of the society have always been made by men who always enjoyed and maintained/legitimised unequal power relations with women in the name of religion, tradition, culture. However, we have examples like Cezaria who swam across the current despite all social pressures. Thanks for illustrating the gender politics and a powerful responce to it. Great.

Khan

By: Pat

Pat — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:45:59 +0000

Thank you Ingrid for this story. It makes me feel like stronger that I am now. Women could do everything like a man. Don’t give up with all of problem(tell myself).

By: Asma Fatehali (Karachi, Pakistan)

Asma Fatehali (Karachi, Pakistan) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:54:38 +0000

Thanks, I salute this great lady on this grand day. Her work and complex life is motivating for me. She is a true picture of “Challenges decide man real worth.” Such examples stimulate enthusiasm for achieving the goals.

By: Marta (@mstelmaszak)

Marta (@mstelmaszak) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:10:57 +0000

Dear Ingrid, your article made me be proud to be Polish even more. I always enjoy reading stories about our brave and intelligent women who managed to stand their ground in the old days. Truly inspirational!

By: Xiaoxiao Chen

Xiaoxiao Chen — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:13:06 +0000

Thank you, Ingrid, for posting such an inspirational story! To be honest, I know little about this amazing woman of academia before I read your post. But I’m filled with awe and admiration when I read the life story of Cezaria Baudouin de Courtenay and when I put down this comment. My aunt, who is a professor of Chinese language and literature in China, used to tell me that it takes great courage to follow the path of academic research because it can be hard and “grey.” Now I have a better understanding of her observation after I have looked at Cezaria’s academic life. Surely, it had taken Cezaria much more courage to follow this path and much more tenacity to succeed on this path in her time. Compared with what Cezaria had to overcome in order to pursue her dream, I really should feel blessed for what I have now in order to complete my PhD.

By: Lisa Fairbrother

Lisa Fairbrother — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:35:51 +0000

Thanks for sharing such an inspirational story. She did indeed have a remarkable life. This story, however, reminds me of my less fortunate great aunt who won a scholarship to Manchester University in I suppose the 1930s. Her father tore up her acceptance papers and threw them in the fire! Things may not be perfect today but thank goodness things have improved a little since those days.