Naukowy awans kobiet w XX w. Casus docent Anny Rynkowskiej

The article is part of the reflection on the scientific careers of Polish women in the 20th c., focusing particularly on the era of the Polish People’s Republic. It examines the intellectual biography, scientific achievements, and subsequent stages of academic advancement of Anna Rynkowska (1903–1984), a Łódź historian, archivist, and popularizer of Łódź history. Rynkowska began her career in the Second Polish Republic at the Łódź branch of the Polish Free University and later at the University of Łódź, in the department headed by Natalia Gąsiorowska-Grabowska. In the 1950s, she decided to join the archival service. On the one hand, the protagonist of this piece was perceived as someone who owed her social advancement to the new system. On the other hand, it is important to note that her advancement began already in the interwar period. It was then that, despite her workingclass background and lack of financial support from her family, she finished gymnasium and graduate studies, and pursued her doctorate. Her life mirrored broader national and regional histories, as well as the changes in Polish science. The article presents findings from archival research, as well as first-hand sources, published memoires, and studies in the history of historiography, science, and education.