“Immoral conduct” — this grounds for dismissal was employed by many universities in Russia against professors speaking up against the war with Ukraine.
However, not all students are willing to tolerate that and some of them are not afraid to stand up for their professors. Groza is sharing stories of four such students and alumni who dared to defend their lecturers from the university administration.
What was he like as a professor
Karina: It’s worth saying that our master’s course Visual Culture only exists because of Ilya Nikolaevich. He is its founder, and I applied here knowing that it would be him at the head of the study track.
I haven't heard anything but positive feedback about him, about his professional skills, how he teaches [classes], and the fact that he is open-minded about gender studies.
He is an amazing professor, he taught some of our most important subjects. Most importantly: Theory of Images and Contemporary Aesthetics: Art, Perception, Society, Ilya Nikolaevich taught them. Also nine out of twelve people in our class wrote their theses with Ilia Inishev as an advisor. I also would like to highlight that there was always a healthy distance between him and his students, respectable boundaries. He was always open to dialogue, we could write our questions to him and he would always respond.
Sasha: It so happens that I majored in Cultural Studies for my Bachelor’s degree. I then decided to go for a Master’s degree, majoring in Cultural Studies as well. It was 2022, so I had no better idea than to put important life decisions on hold by doing my Master’s.
I did not get the chance to study with Inishev much, nevertheless, I was absolutely fascinated by him. In contemporary academic circles, specifically in Cultural Studies, many undeniably talented scholars are being actively forced out. I've been contemplating about dedicating my life to academia for a very long while. Ilia Inishev taught us some subjects, gave us some lectures. The way he thinks, and speaks, and formulates his thoughts — for me, that was absolute fascination.
How students and professors reacted to his dismissal
Karina: On 28 December, we created a Telegram channel, 41 people were added. Among them were the current students, our group, students of Applied Cultural Studies, as well as second year students of Visual Culture. Alumni also joined. So it was only current and past [students who joined], there was no university staff among us. There was one, but I won’t name them, the university professors had their own petition.
On 19 January 2023 we submitted our petition, it was signed as a joint letter. Of course, we had suspected that it was deliberate [that Inishev was dismissed right before the winter holidays] — it was for them to win time.
Our reaction [to the events], it wasn't anxiety. It was some kind of rage. We really wanted to do something. Ilya Nikolaevich, surely, told us that now was not the time when you could achieve something through writing letters.
Sasha: I wasn’t the most active participant of that campaign [in defense of Inishev], because at the moment I was occupied with other stuff, but yes, I did sign the letter. It seems to be the basic level of justice that should’ve been restored. Those were obviously institutional schemes to blacklist an adequate person from academia. Obviously, Inishev was inconvenient, especially considering his active political and social stance. Also they [the administration and the Committee on Ethical Conduct] focused on [Inishev’s] post on Facebook published at the beginning of the year. They remembered about it at the end [of the year], when it was suitable. I think the Committee was simply looking for [a reason].
Why the students decided to stand up for the professor
Karina: We’ve decided to write a letter collectively, because it would at least be a symbolic gesture to support us. Also we met the previous group. The whole process united us: editing the letter, phrasing, research. And, of course, the people who wrote [their theses] with him [Inishev] were extremely anxious, because they had to change their academic advisor.
What else? Over 340 people, both current students and those who graduated, signed the petition, that is probably something worth mentioning.
As I said, he was the formative part of the program in a sense, we’ve all really enjoyed his inspiring lectures. He was open-minded and let us write papers on any topic. Three people in our program wrote [papers] on gender studies, there was a paper on war photography, on the current war [against Ukraine]. He never censored, claimed something as “wrong” or judged. We saw a mentor in him, not just a professor. That is why we were so upset – because the entire program was centered around him.
The seminars were actually taught by Inishev’s student, sort of his successor. He’s also a great professor, still there [teaching at HSE University]. I hope nothing happens to him, because they’re so alike. It’s good to have a professor like that, it gives you hope that there is a good education somewhere.
Were they scared to sign the letter in support of the professor
Karina: There wasn’t anything like that in the group chat. We had a specific goal to achieve, and some of our group-mates even printed the letter and took it to the Admissions Office. It was written to [the Rector of HSE Nikita] Anisimov, and the second one was to [the First Vice Rector of HSE Vadim] Radaev. That was a bit scary, to go personally. The Office took the letter but it is still uncertain whether the addressees got it. But we weren’t scared of being targeted. It is documented in the group chat, my group-mate said she would drop if Inishev got fired.
I shall only speak for myself here. Undoubtedly, there was a great deal of fear: some were more intimidated than others, but for me, there was no question at all. The moment this situation with the dismissals arose, it was immediately apparent to me that I would be involved in some capacity. At the very least, I would lend my signature, and if needed, I am prepared to assist in arranging meetings.
However, the management chose not to engage with us. We penned a lengthy letter emphasizing that Inishev, as the supervisor of numerous courses and programmes, is very important and that we should be included in this process as well. We were bluntly told, “Go to hell, you have nothing to do with this at all”.
What happened after the professor was fired
Karina: We were in touch with him [Inishev] in the very first days to find out what was going on. It all happened so suddenly. Recently, we called him again to see how he was doing and what condition he was in. He asked about us as well, showing concern for our wellbeing. There were also personal messages of support.
Sasha: Ilya Nikolaevich told us that we shouldn't sacrifice ourselves. He meant that we shouldn't throw ourselves into the fray, as it would be pointless; we still have to study, and he's an adult who is responsible for his own actions. He suggested a series of phone calls with discussions, and this [phone calls’ continued for some time.
About the professor
Dinara Amirovna is a democratic person, at least with students. She employed a quite progressive educational approach — what we saw, what I experienced in the master's program. I was satisfied with this form of education, it is not classic. There was no cramming, but rather interesting assignments. Dinara Amirovna is a good organizer, which was a significant advantage of the master's program — she invited excellent, top-tier speakers in their fields.
Why the professor was fired
It doesn't matter what a person says on politics outside the university. The HSE University's position is that the university is “outside politics” and that such matters are not relevant here. However, we did not really discuss this topic in class. There were other subjects where we approached the topic of war not from a standpoint of political activism, but using scientific concepts. But this was not the case in Dinara Amirovna's classes.
Why the students stood up for the professor
Everyone has the right to freedom of speech and expression, regardless of their personal beliefs. This right is separate from their professional skills and competencies. The professor in question is highly competent in their field, and [she] should not be dismissed solely for her statements.
Were the students afraid to sign a petition
When you sign in an emotional burst, it's quite the opposite — [you are not afraid]. At HSE University we had various situations involving the collection of signatures. There was always an opportunity to discuss these matters, which was actually a great advantage of the university. Any emerging problem could be addressed through discussion. However, recently, it is less and less [that problems are discussed with students].
How classmates and colleagues reacted to the petition
In our Master’s program, at least within our group, everyone signed. Additionally, someone from a senior group and from the Bachelor’s program also signed.
Reaction to the professor's departure
In my opinion, it is great that she left HSE. What is there to do? It was an adult decision.
About the professor
First of all, she gave the impression of being a competent person. Everything she said could be verified. Editing is still a fairly subjective subject to some extent. We accept arguments based on our own views, but she provided strong evidence to support her opinions. This is probably the most important thing.
Another memorable aspect is that you could always come to an agreement with her. She was a person who — well, not was, but is! — she never had much affection for bureaucracy. And at St. Petersburg State University, this was significant. Firstly, we were not burdened with an endless amount of paperwork. I think she was instrumental [in this], as she was the course supervisor. I recall that we never faced such endless paperwork or had to take courses just for the sake of it.
Why the students stood up for the professor
It was a complete misunderstanding of what was happening and how it could occur: a person being suddenly dismissed from the university simply for doing her job — and doing it well. It created a profound sense of logical dissonance.
How the classmates and colleagues reacted
I can't say that we [classmates] all have been communicating closely after graduation. More like texting from time to time but quite rarely. But when this story happened everyone started discussing it, we wrote a letter [to the professor], and wished [her] a happy birthday, since it was close.
An activist texted me and printed the letter with petitions. The letter was short itself, but there were many signatures, so the folder turned out to be big. Another graduate of the same course, Anastasiia Pernikova, and I met in the St. Petersburg State University and brought the letter forward together with the initial organizer.
We wrote a statement to the Vice-Rector. When you come into their office you fill in a form: date, time, address for response and reason for submission. You leave this form and they are supposed to send you the answer to that address: either electronically, or you have to dig through your postbox. How much time has passed? Around 5 months and there's still nothing.
It is actually very difficult to meet the Rector, Vice-Rector and other administration in the University. We wanted to get to the Rector but he was not in the office, so we went to the Vice-Rector [for legal affairs Yurii Penov] instead. Especially since he was a member of the Ethics Commission that voted for firing the professor, so he was a suitable candidate too.
We went there and had to wait. There [at the Vice-Rector’s reception] was no place to sit, so we stood near the wall. He [the Vice-Rector] was 45 minutes late. After that, we were received but not immediately, because someone got in past the queue.
The Vice-Rector was sitting there, and we handed him the folder with petitions. He repeated many times that Dolzhanskaya was not fired for her incompetence, but for allegedly insulting the prosecution’s linguistics experts. He told us that she made offensive posts on Facebook or some other social media and that's why the Ethics Commission decided to dismiss her and that it has nothing to do with the examination she performed.
I got very confused because he repeated everything very aggressively and didn't let me say a word. We still tried to communicate with him somehow. We asked: “Well, we understood your point of view, but will the letter be considered at all?” He said that it would be considered, and the submission was accepted.
Then he also insisted that we couldn't be fully objective, because we were her former students, and supporting former professors is considered polite. He said that we act this way due to tradition, whether he has a broader view on these things. Apparently, he was trying to push this point of view. And there was such a funny reply at the end: he said that Svetlana Viktorovna had filed a lawsuit against this decision. As he said, the court will decide whose expertise was correct. So the person started by saying that the examination had nothing to do with the case, and ended up saying the opposite.
Who replaced the professor
Unfortunately, I don’t know. Also as far as I understand, lately the St.PEtersburg State University’s employees are being fired almost every second but someone new has to fill in too.
