Academic “republicanism” and practices of university self-governance in Russia from 1800 to the 1830s (a case study of Saint Petersburg University)

In the XVIII and early XIX centuries, Russian science and university education developed through transferring and adapting Western European models of scientific knowledge dissemination, as well as the models of self-organization of academic communities. The boundaries of academic self-governance in Russia were established by the state. The practical implementation of regulations on university self-governance in the system of daily scientific, educational, personnel, economic, and administrative university activities can be discerned from extensive university and departmental records. The article presents the first comprehensive study of the protocols from the Conference of Saint Petersburg Pedagogical Institute (the Council of Saint Petersburg University) for 1808–1835, which enable to characterize the pivotal role played by this collegial body in the development of the educational system, addressing personnel issues, organizing scientific expertise and licensing procedures, strengthening the university’s material and scientific base, overseeing affiliated schools within the district, and establishing horizontal communication channels with other institutions. The university’s records reflect the mechanism of interaction involving the Council of Professors, the trustee of the educational district, and other authorities on various key issues such as electing the rector and deans, appointing professors and junior lecturers, admitting students, and assigning graduates to teaching positions. In these and many other matters discussed collegially, the decisions made by the university corporation served as the foundational basis for directives issued by the trustee of the educational district and higher authorities.