ABSTRACT

This article argues for a revisionist history of women through the lens of anthropological gift theory by analysing how Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova used gifts to sustain her relationships, including a tumultuous friendship with Catherine the Great, and the historical narrative of her life. In 1762, Ekaterina played a key role in the coup that overthrew Peter III and installed his wife on the throne. Catherine II made the princess president of the Russian Academy of Sciences - the first European woman to hold public office. At a time when elite Russians first encountered Western society, Ekaterina played a central role in shaping and promoting Russian intellectual and cultural life. The role that gift-giving played in the princess’s negotiation of her relationships and her construction of her own and Russia’s history has not been considered; this article argues for greater recognition of gift-giving and visual rhetoric in women’s history.

摘要

本文通过分析叶卡捷琳娜·罗曼诺夫娜·达什科娃公主如何利用礼物来维持她的关系，包括与凯瑟琳大帝的动荡友谊，以及她一生的历史叙述，通过人类学礼物理论的视角来论证女性的修正主义历史。1762 年，叶卡捷琳娜在推翻彼得三世并让他的妻子登上王位的政变中发挥了关键作用。凯瑟琳二世任命公主为俄罗斯科学院院长——第一位担任公职的欧洲女性。在俄罗斯精英第一次接触西方社会的时候，叶卡捷琳娜在塑造和促进俄罗斯知识分子和文化生活方面发挥了核心作用。没有考虑到送礼在公主谈判她的关系以及她对自己和俄罗斯历史的建构中所起的作用；本文主张对女性历史上的送礼和视觉修辞给予更大的认可。