Fogelstad Citizen School for Women
The Fogelstad Citizen School for Women was opened in 1925. The school's aim was to educate women, to enable them to exercise their civic rights. Course participants did not just receive theoretical training, but self confidence, inspiration and the courage to fight for women's rights.
About the archive
The archive of the Fogelstad Citizen School for Women (B 7a) amounts to 30 volumes and covers the years 1925 to 1982. The material includes protocols, course participant lists, sheet music and song lyrics, accounts, photos and more. Many of the photographs have been digitised and are available through the Alvin datbaase.
The archive will be digitised in its entirety in 2024–2025 within the framework of the Demokrati100 project. (Fact box on the right). Documents exempt from copyright will be made available through Alvin. Copyrighted materials can be read at the University library, or accessed through the computer in the reading room of the Humanities library.
Please cfr further archives: Fogelstadförbundet B 7b, Ebba Holgerssons samling A 13, Kerstin Hesselgrens samling A 14, Ada Nilssons samling A 22, Elin Wägners samling A 48a, Carin Hermelins samling A 73, Honorine Hermelins samling A 81, Margareta Larsons samling A 123 och Elisabeth Tamms samling A 170.
Demokrati100
Demokrati100 is a project that aims to increase knowledge about the emergence of universal and equal suffrage by highlighting documents, objects and people's stories from archives, museums and libraries. The project is backed by the National Library of Sweden and the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, along with a network of representatives from archives, museums and libraries, as well as individual researchers, including the Swedish National Archives.
History
Once the women of Sweden had won the universal vote and could be elected for the Riksdag, estate owner and member of the Riksdag Elisabeth Tamm, physician Ada Nilsson, pedagogue Honorine Hermelin, author Elin Wägner and member of the Riksdag Kerstin Hesselgren had a meeting. They wished to found a school that enabled women to make use of their civic rights. On Easter Monday, 1925, the Fogelstad Citizen School for Women was opened.
Beyond traditional subjects such as history, social science and psychology, the curriculum included practical civic knowledge, choir singing, gymnastics and rhythmics. The school had two permanent teachers, Honorine Hermelin, who also served as principal, and Ebba Holgersson. As a complement, the school hired guest lecturers, including Siri Derkert, Emilia Fogelklou and Alexandra Kollontay.
In the thirty years the school operated, some two thousand course participants attended it. These women were between 20 and 80 years old, from various parts of the country and from various social strata. Among the participants, the majority were teachers, followed by housewives and women employed by the industry. In order to offset any economic hurdles for participating, the school had its own scholarship fund. The money came from various foundations, organisations and private individuals.
An important stance was that everyone had something to contribute. For this reason, the term "course participants" was used rather than "students". During the "local history evenings", gatherings were hosted outdoors or around the fireplace, depending on the season. One of the participants was then asked to share something from their own experience, without any prior preparations.
The school closed down in 1954. The courses still had many applicants at this time, but the management believed it was time to let others carry on the work, in new forms.
