Kairi, Evanthia (1797–1866)
Kairi, Evanthia (1797–1866)
Greek educator who was a leading feminist following the liberation of Greece from Turkish rule . Born in 1797 (some sources cite 1799) on the island of Andros; died in 1866; sister of Theophilos Kairis (a wellknown philosopher).
Having received her education from her scholarly brother Theophilos Kairis, Evanthia Kairi was particularly concerned about the education of young girls and for many years headed up a famous girls' school in Kydonies (Greek Asia Minor, now Turkey), where she also taught history and the Classics. As well, she translated into Greek many French works concerning the education of young women.
Starting in 1821, during the Greek War of Independence against the Turks, Kairi solicited help from women's organizations in Europe and, through her contacts, influenced the development of a strong philhellenistic movement in Europe and the United States among women intellectuals. In 1826, with the fall of the garrison at Missolonghi to the Turks after years of brave defiance, she wrote the play Nikiratos, about the Greek women who had given their lives during the siege. Kairi's final years were spent on her native island of Andros, where she ran a home for war orphans.