Rusins in the Institute of Slavic Scholars (1866–1882)

Abstract

The mass resettlement of Rusins in the Russian Empire in the 19th century included a study migration. The largest influx of Rusin students happened in the second half of the 1860s – 1870s with the emergence of Slavic scholars. The gymnasium reform caused an urgent need for teachers of ancient languages, who were invited from the Habsburg monarchy. They were practicing teachers, graduates and university students, representatives of the Slavic peoples. After moving to Russia, they attended refresher courses and studied Russian in St. Petersburg as students of the Institute of Slavic Scholars (1866–1882). In total, about 160 Austro-Hungarian philologists attended the Institute. Of them, almost a third (45 people) were Rusins: Galicians (35 people) and Bukovinian and Ugric Rusins (5 persons each). They were mostly young people from the families of rural priests. Moving to Russia allowed them to get a teaching profession and find a job on more favorable terms than in their homeland. Subsequently, the overwhelming majority of Rusin scholars successfully adapted to the new conditions. Many of them worked in Russian educational institutions for many years; one in five eventually reached the post of director of a gymnasium. Thus, the Institute of Slavic Scholars can be considered a main channel for the emigration of the Rusin intelligentsia to the Russian Empire in the post-reform period.