Page - 140 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

140 ♦  Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 Habsburg universities, with numerous institutions and the possibility of exchange with the German Empire; (b) Galician universities, associated with large Polish-speaking communities in Prussia and Russia that lacked a Polish-language university in their home country; and (c) Czech-language universities, backed up by technical academies. The “superstructure” of the monarchy and ministry remained important, even though universities defined themselves as increasingly independent within linguistically defined networks. This coexistence of the space of the state and of the space defined by language affiliation—both spaces that had their own internal differenti- ations—will be the topic of this chapter and the next. German-language Habsburg institutions present a particularly inter- esting case, oscillating between being imperial, Austrian, and German institutions. At different times, the ministers, influenced by the Habsburg and European sociopolitical contexts, favored one space or another. However, this was a more complicated situation than at first appears. During the nine- teenth century, Habsburg-Prussian tensions were at an all-time high, but the growth of Habsburg universities and the simultaneous lack of young scholars made transfers from Prussia inevitable. Even an unhappy Franz Joseph could hardly stop them. When one looks at the statistics, one can find patterns in scholarly careers. These patterns help to question findings based on scholars who had exemplary careers, which have so far dominated the research on Habsburg universities. Mobility is a personal experience but is structured by systemic pull-push factors, such as formal regulations and informal conventions on how to achieve a career. The latter grew in importance in the late Habsburg Empire, as the overabundance of young scholars was not accompanied by an enlargement of the professoriat, leading to more intense competition and pushing large numbers of scholars out of the uni- versity system. German-language universities in the Habsburg Empire were becom- ing increasingly Austrian; they had their own hierarchy and a career path distinct from both the imperial and the pan-German models. This was spe- cifically tuned to the needs of the University of Vienna and had a clear hierarchical structure. Aspects favoring Vienna included legal regulations, the practices of the Ministry of Education, and, not least, the choices of the scholars themselves. It is not surprising that most scholars regarded Vienna as the academic pinnacle of their careers.