Page - 201 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

Chapter 5 ♦  201 in the initial years after the language change. The problem of a lack of qualified Polish scholars had already arisen in Cracow in the 1860s. When, during the bilingual period (1861–70), a professor of classical philology in the German language was to be appointed, the faculty asked a former member, Bernhard Jülg, then a professor in Innsbruck, if he would agree to return. The request was motivated by the fact that he had learned Polish during his time in Cracow.114 While Polish speakers were mostly available, in two cases the university decided to propose scholars not entirely fluent in Polish. The first case, which shows that national categories were still fluid, took place in 1873. Two scholars were considered for a chair in Cracow, but they spoke only basic Polish. In this case, for different reasons, neither of them could be appointed; finally (and in fact against the will of the faculty), a local scholar was chosen.115 The second case took place in 1891, when the Jagiellonian University created the chair of animal husbandry. The faculty proposed Leopold Adametz from the Academy of Agriculture (Hochschule für Bodenkultur) in Vienna; he was required, however, to learn Polish within two years.116 Such appointments remained exceptions, though, and the fac- ulties were cautious about language issues. In uncertain cases they asked scholars directly whether they were fluent in Polish. Sometimes this led to surprisingly positive answers, although rarely to appointments.117 As in Prague, the faculty also consciously used the argument of lan- guage to promote local scholars. When, in 1875, both Galician universities were supposed to initiate lectures in geography, a substantial lack of scholars capable of teaching this discipline in Polish was evident. Several German speakers, but also the Ruthenian geographer Anatol’ Vachnjanyn (Анатоль Вахнянин),118 applied to L’viv, but instead of appointing these non-Polish scholars, the university decided to offer scholarships to promising young scholars who identified as Polish; in the meantime, other professors would deliver the lectures in geography.119 When one of the promising youngsters failed his habilitation in 1878, the University of L’viv still opted for a local Polish Galician instead of Vachnjanyn, waiting for several years until an appropriate candidate habilitated.120 As the lectures of the chair of German language and literature were to remain in German, professors proposed for that chair were more valued if they knew at least one Slavic language and thus had a better chance of learn- ing Polish, which also limited potential appointments. In addition, if they had a Polish mother, as Spiridion Wukadinović did, then even the fiercest of Polish nationalists were quieted.121