JKU Historian Presented with Award

The Pro Civitate Austriae Foundation presented Jonas Albrecht, an economic and social historian, with the prestigious award.

Speaker Andreas Weigl (left) and award winner Jonas Albrecht (right); photo credit: Ernst Langthaler
Speaker Andreas Weigl (left) and award winner Jonas Albrecht (right); photo credit: Ernst Langthaler

The award ceremony took place at the city of Vienna State Archives. Award winner Jonas Albrecht was a university assistant at the Institute for Social and Economic History at the JKU Linz between 2017 and 2021, earning his doctorate at the JKU in 2022. The Pro Civitate Austriae Foundation presented him with the award, accompanied with €5,000 in prize money, for his dissertation titled "Between Moral and Market Economies. Regulating Bread in Vienna, 1775-1885". The academic paper analyzes just how the bread supply in the imperial capital of Vienna transformed as it faced the challenges of accelerated industrialization as well as a rise in the population. During the 19th century, the residents’ daily supply of bread went from being an object of municipal supply management to a commodity in a game of unleashed market forces. The paper sheds light on a historical dimension of current economic and socio-political debates.

On behalf of the institute, dissertation supervisor Ernst Langthaler extended his heartfelt congratulations to the award winner.