Inaugural Addresses of Prague University Recrtors between Science and Providing Service to Society, Nation, and State in the First Half of the Twentieth Century
Abstract
Based on analysis of a series of rectorial inaugural addresses from both Prague universities from 1890s-1947, the author tries in his presentation to capture the development of views regarding the goals and aims of two particular Central European universities. In the perception of the relevant protagonists, the view of university's mission oscillated between its role of an elite scientific institution which keeps up with international trends and the need for university to play a central social and political role.
The latter view was expressed in particularly strong terms especially when inaugurations took place during the turning points of Central European history and it usually came from representatives of humanities, social, economic, and legal sciences. The function and content of Prague rectorial speeches are analysed both in the context of research of rectorial speeches at German universities and in the context of recent research into academic celebrations of important anniversaries.