Page - 182 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

182 ♦  Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 project, for scholars outside of Bohemia this was not so straightforward. For example, the forensic pathologist Eduard Hofmann, who worked in Prague and later in Innsbruck, published throughout his career a series of articles in Časopis lékařův českých, took part in several Czech-speaking projects, and influenced the appointment of his close friend Albert to Vienna.27 In most cases, scholars who published in Czech were considered possible candidates for teaching positions, and some of them indeed gained professorships at the Czech Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague or the technical academy in Brno.28 Although the number of Bohemian scholars who were bilingual is unknown, as are their fates, one can suppose that the either-or dilemma that scholars in Prague faced in the 1880s was the most intense, whereas scholars elsewhere had other options. Vienna, apparently a privileged place for scholars who did not want to be categorized according to nationalist ideologies, provided, for instance, several professors who were nominated to Czech Bohemian institutions. In Prague a choice had to be made in the language issue, as Anton Gindely, the Bohemian professor of general history, painfully experienced. Because he had signed a petition by Czech professors for an increase in Czech chairs in 1880, he was marked down as a Czech nationalist. In 1882, when he decided to move to the German University in Prague, the profes- sors (with the exception of Julius Jung) published a memorandum opposing his transfer to the German faculty. However, his choice of the German University was reason enough for Czech scholars to deny him a place at the Czech University. Gindely, who from 1870 had been politically active and had unsuccessfully tried to establish a cross-national conservative party, was, however, supported by the ministry and retained (officially) his position at the university and his directorship of the Bohemian Archives. Later in life, he was also a member of the Franz Joseph Czech Academy for Science, Literature and Arts.29 He was one of only two active members of the German University in Prague elected to membership in the academy.30 This story should not be read literally as indicating that the Czech Academy completely ignored German scholars as members. The second member of the Czech Academy who came from the German University, the comparative linguist Alfred Ludwig, had been born in Vienna and had no knowledge of Czech before moving to Prague in 1860. There he became interested in Czech cul- ture, and he even published in both Bohemian tongues. Although clearly not identifying as Czech, in 1882 he was allegedly given the choice to join either