Commitment to science and public service: celebrating the 100th anniversary of Maria Nikolaevna Vlasova

The article examines the biography of Maria Nikolaevna Vlasova, a distinguished historian of Karelia, Honored Scientist of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and Honorary Citizen of Petrozavodsk, within the broader context of ongoing discussions about continuity in science, the preservation of professional identity within the scientific historical community, and the role of commemoration in these processes. From 1948 to 1988, Vlasova worked at the Karelian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, serving as the scientific secretary of the branch’s presidium, head of the history sector, and for many years, director of the Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History. Her successful scientific leadership was complemented by extensive public activity: from 1955 to 1959, she served as a deputy and the vice-chairman of the Supreme Council of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (later the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic). Between 1966 and 1970, she was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a member of the Standing Committee of the Soviet of Nationalities on National Education, Science, and Culture, as well as a member of the USSR’s Parliamentary Group. Her primary research interests included the history of Karelia in the early twentieth century and during the early Soviet period of the 1920s–1930s, the Finnish labor movement of 1900–1907, and Soviet-Finnish scientific cooperation. For the first time, previously unexamined materials from Vlasova’s family archive are introduced into scientific circulation, providing new insights into her life trajectory and creative legacy, which enables a deeper understanding of her significant contributions to Karelian science and public life. The study concludes that her research remains highly relevant for studying collective memory related to revolutionary events in Karelia and Finland, the mutual radicalization of Finnish workers and Russian military personnel during the First Russian Revolution, the political landscape of the Finnish capital, and the development of scientific collaboration between historians of both countries. The author pays tribute to a colleague, mentor, and organizer of scientific endeavors, emphasizing her lasting impact on the field.