Katarina Bogdanović je bila naša filozofkinja, urednica, nastavnica, feminstkinja i socijalistkinja.
Početkom dvadesetog veka, Katarina je radila kao učiteljica u osnovnoj školi u Tuzli. Nezadovoljna svojim poslom i nivoom obrazovanja koji je do tada stekla (završila je učiteljsku školu nakon koje se odmah i zaposlila), 1906. iznenada daje otkaz i odlazi u Beograd kako bi studirala filozofiju i književnost. Katarina je težila da bude u centru kulturnih i naučnih zbivanja – u Beogradu – gde će moći da razvija svoj intelektualni potencijal. 1910. godine je diplomirala i uzima se za prvu ženu koja je završila filozofiju na Beogradskom univerzitetu.
Sem u Beogradu neko vreme je studirala i u Parizu, u koji odlazi nakon što daje otkaz u gimnaziji u Smederevu gde je radila kao profesorka. Planirala je da upisuje i postdiplomske studije, ali pošto je dobila poziv iz Ministarstva prosvete 1913. godine, vraća se u Beograd i počinje da radi u Višoj ženskoj školi. Tu je provela narednih 15 godina kao nastavnica filozofije i književnosti. U Niš odlazi 1928. i postaje direktorka Ženske gimnazije, a četiri godine kasnije i u Kragujevac gde je takođe bila na čelu gimnazije.
Između dva svetska rata bila je aktivna u ženskom pokretu zajedno sa Paulinom Lebl Albala, sa kojom je napisala udžbenik Teorija književnosti. 1919. osnivaju Društvo za prosvećivanje žene i zaštitu njenih prava i u tom periodu se mreža ženskih organizacija širi i po drugim gradovima. Njihov glavni cilj je bila građanska i politička emancipacija žena. Takođe se pokreće časopis Ženski pokret, koji je bio glasilo udruženja i njegova prva urednica je bila Katarina. Katarina (kao i samo Društvo) je pratila rad internacionalnih ženskih organizacija i učestvovala je na konferencijama i kongresima širom Evrope.
Katarina je aktivno vodila dnevnike do svojih poznih godina. Iz njih saznajemo detalje o njenom životu i nezadovoljstvu premeštanjem iz Beograda, kada je ponovo smatrala da je skrajnuta od književnih dešavanja i listova za koje je pisala. U svojim dnevnicima takođe je pisala o nedostacima srpskog obrazovnog sistema i nezainteresovanosti Ministarstva da reformiše školstvo. U “Devojačkom dnevniku” i “Pariskom dnevniku” koje je vodila kao mlada devojka pisala je i o okolnostima pod kojima je razvijala svoje ideje i stavove o svetu i životu: o sklonosti ka filozofiji, čitanju, o ateizmu.
1940. godine je kao socijalistkinja, zbog političke nepodobnosti smenjena sa mesta direktorke gimnazije u Kragujevcu. Tada je i prevremeno penzionisana, a kao obrazloženje je navedeno da je previše levičarski nastrojena i time nepodobna za vaspitanje mladih devojaka. Neposredno posle okupacije zemlje Katarina je, kao komunistkinja, nekoliko puta hapšena i čak joj je bilo prećeno smrtnom kaznom. I za vreme rata je vodila “Ratni dnevnik” u kojem je ostavila detaljne opise nemačkog okupiranja Jugoslavije, o ekstremnim uslovima za život i gladi, o streljanju đaka, potkazivanjima, izdaji, te o kolaboraciji Dimitrija Ljotića njemu bliskih ljudi sa nacistima. Nakon završteka rata, iako već u poznim godinama, Katarina je nastavila da bude aktivna pišući o aktuelnim temama i držeći predavanja o svetskim piscima, obrazovanju, Svetozaru Markoviću.
Do kraja života Katarina je bila nesrećno uverena da je bila uskraćena za puno razvijanje svojih profesionalnih i drugih potencijala i da je, iako je čitavog života pisala, da nije za sobom ostavila veliko delo, te da će posle smrti pasti u zaborav. Nije bila daleko od istine, pošto je njen rad ostaje marginalizovan. Njeni eseji i radovi su rasuti po časopisima za koje je pisala, a njena jedina knjiga (pored udžbenika o književnosti), objavljena je 17 godina nakon njene smrti i teško je dostupna i dan danas. U Kragujevcu danas postoji književni klub koji je nazvan po Katarini Bogdanović.
Katarina Bogdanović was Serbian philosopher, editor, teacher, a feminist and a socialist.
At the beginning of 20th century, Katarina worked as a teacher in elementary school in Tuzla. Unsatisfied with her work and education gained so far she unexpectedly quit her job in 1906 and moved to Belgrade to study philosophy and literature. Katarina strived to be in the center of cultural and scientific events – in Belgrade – where she could further develop her intellectual potential. She graduated in 1910 and is considered to be the first woman to graduate philosophy at the University of Belgrade.
Apart from studying in Belgrade she also studied in Paris for some time. She left for Paris after she quit her job as a professor in grammar school in Smederevo. She planned on pursuing postgraduate studies, but came back to Belgrade after she got an official invitation from the Ministry of Education to come and work as a professor in Girls’ School in 1913. She worked there for the next 15 years as a professor in philosophy and literature. She moved to Niš afterwards and became head of Girls’ Grammar School and four years later she moved to Kragujevac where she was also the head of a grammar school.
In between the two World wars she actively participated in a women’s movement alongside Paulina Lebl Albala, with whom she later wrote textbook Theory of literature. In 1919 they founded Association for enlightenment of women and the protection of their rights. During this period women’s organizations were being established across other cities as well. Their main goal was political and civil emancipation. They have also founded a magazine called Women’s movement, Association’s newsletter, and Katarina was its first editor. Katarina (and the Association itself) followed the works of international women’s organizations and participated in conferences and congresses across Europe.
Katarina actively wrote diaries throughout her life, even in her late years. Those diaries give an insight into her life and her dissatisfaction with relocating from Belgrade, when she once again considered to be sidelined from cultural happenings and the magazines she wrote for. In her diaries she also wrote about deficiencies of Serbian education system and the lack of interest (on the behalf of Ministry of Education) to reform it. In her “Maiden Diary” and “Paris Diary” she wrote about the circumstances which led her to develop her standpoints on life and the world: she wrote about her love for reading, philosophy, about her atheism.
In 1940 she was dismissed from being the head of Girls’ Grammar School in Kragujevac, because she was a socialist and therefore politically unfit to educate young girls. Not long after the occupation of the country, as a communist, she was arrested several times and even threatened with a death sentence. During WWII she wrote a “War Diary” in which she described in detail German occupation of Yugoslavia, the extreme living conditions and hunger, the shooting of pupils, denunciation and betrayal, as well as Dimitrije Ljotić’s collaboration with the Nazis. After the war ended, although old, Katarina continued writing about current topics and held lectures on famous writers, education and Svetozar Miletić.
Until her last days Katarina was unhappily convinced that she was denied to fully develop her professional and other potentials, and that she will be forgotten after she dies. She wasn’t far from the truth, as her work remains marginalized. Her essays are scattered across magazines that she wrote for, and her second book (apart from the textbook on literature) was published 17 years after her death and is still hard to be found. In Kragujevac, one literary club is named after Katarina Bogdanović.