| Abstract: | This essay examines two outstanding Finnish scholars, the historian Alma Söderhjelm (1870–1949) and the social anthropologist Hilma Granqvist (1890–1972). The article investigates their social background, the obstacles they faced in becoming qualified and in advancing within the university system, their scholarly ambitions and the particular personal qualities they brought to their task. Although a generation apart and coming from different social milieux, their stories have much in common, both with each other and with many other pioneers of womenà s history in a variety of societies. |
