THE CENTER FOR AUSTRIAN STUDIES 2004-05 Annual Report From the Director The Center for Austrian Studies had an active and productive year in 2004-05. My colleagues and I continued to work on many fronts to further the mission of the Center as a focal point in the United States for interdisciplinary research, education, and public service regarding Austria and the other Central European lands that share a common Habsburg heritage. The Center’s programs embraced a remarkable range of disciplines and interests. Public events included twelve lectures, a panel discussion on the arts in the lands of former Yugoslavia, a roundtable for the fiftieth anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty, and a scintillating symposium on Mozart and Da Ponte’s Don Giovanni. Publications included the Austrian History Yearbook, the Austrian Studies Newsletter, and a new volume of essays. The Center’s finances continued to suffer 2004-05 Center for Austrian Studies Staff. Clockwise from left: Linda Andrean, Mirjam in 2004-05 due to the sharp drop in the Marits, Arnold Lelis, Gary Cohen, Nicole Phelps, and Daniel Pinkerton. market value of its endowment since 2001-02, declining interest rates, and a reduction in its annual allocation from the University of depend critically on contributions and grants. reviews for the Austrian History Yearbook, while Minnesota College of Liberal Arts. With some The Center’s staff rose magnificently to Arnold Lelis did similarly stalwart work for the additional support from the European Studies the challenges of our busy schedule this past Center’s volumes of essays, working papers, and Consortium (Title VI National Resource year. Linda D. Andrean assumed the duties of website. Center), the Institute for Global Studies, and administrative manager of the Center in June Considerable credit for the success of this the College of Liberal Arts Scholarly Events 2004, succeeding Barbara Krauss-Christensen, year’s lecture series and many special events Fund at the University of Minnesota, the who retired after twenty-six years of service belongs to Mirjam Marits, our doctoral Center was able to mount a robust schedule to CAS. Linda’s many years of experience in fellow from Austria, who was supported by a of events this year. To improve the long-term other academic and administrative units at the fellowship from the Austrian Federal Ministry of financial outlook, the Center undertook University of Minnesota are serving us very well Education, Science, and Culture. In organizing important new fundraising initiatives, assisted indeed. She initiated new efforts to reach out to much of the publicity and logistics for these by Mary Hicks and Diane Walters in the the Twin Cities community and to Austrian and programs, Mirjam met all the challenges College of Liberal Arts Office of External Central European students at the University. presented by a complex university structure and Relations. Family, friends, and admirers of The Center sponsored a dinner for friends of the diverse technical requirements of our many the late Prof. Robert A. Kann have responded the Center before a concert of the Vienna Choir speakers with good cheer, energy, and aplomb. generously to the call for contributions to help Boys in November 2004 in the Ted Mann CAS has taken new steps to enhance its us establish an endowment fund to support Concert Hall as well as a series of events for contributions to international scholarship in the annual Kann Memorial Lecture. We students. Austrian and Central European studies and continue to seek contributions to that fund As always, during the year Daniel Pinkerton to the intellectual life of the University of and have launched a new drive to establish produced informative, stimulating, and Minnesota. CAS is working closely with other a graduate fellowship to honor William E. handsomely designed issues of the Austrian centers and departments in the University Wright, the founding director of the Center Studies Newsletter as well as numerous other on collaborative research projects and the and longtime member of the Minnesota brochures and posters. Nicole Phelps was enrichment of degree programs as well as jointly- Department of History. Major enhancements indefatigable in her precise and thoughtful sponsored conferences and symposia. in the Center’s programs in the future will formatting and copyediting of articles and continued on page 2 The CENTER FOR AUSTRIAN STUDIES is an independent unit of the College of Liberal Arts • 2004-05 CAS STAFF CAS: Aims and Scope Director: On the occasion of America’s bicentennial, Gary B. Cohen, professor of history, University the people and government of Austria of Minnesota. Education: B.A., University of gave the University of Minnesota Southern California, 1970; M.A., Princeton one million dollars to establish and University, 1972; Ph.D., Princeton University, permanently endow the Center for 1975. He was a historian at the University of Austrian Studies. Established in 1977, the Oklahoma from 1976 to 2001 prior to taking Center the CAS directorship in August 2001. His • serves as the focal point in North publications include two books, The Politics of America for the study of Austria, the Ethnic Survival: Germans in Prague, 1861-1914 Habsburg Empire, and its Central (1981), and Education and Middle-Class Society European successor states across the in Imperial Austria, 1848-1918 (1996). In disciplines in the humanities, the social addition to serving as director, he is executive sciences, the applied sciences, and the editor of the AHY and the CAS book series. fine arts; • serves as an international Administrative Manager: clearinghouse for information about Linda Andrean, B.A. in Anthropology and interdisciplinary scholarship concerning History, B.S. in Secondary Education, came Eminent Austrian journalist Annaliese Rohrer and Austria and the region through its to the CAS in June 2004 after twenty years CAS director Gary B. Cohen. publications and conferences; of service in the Academic Health Center, • connects institutions, scholars, including work for the Cancer Protocol Review students, and an international From the Director from page 1 Committee, the Medical School, and the community to Austrian, Central • CAS has joined the Center for German School of Public Health. Here at the CAS, and European Studies and the Institute for European, and Minnesotan resources she oversees the Center’s administrative and Global Studies in the longterm collaborative as it promotes research and training in financial affairs, and is heavily involved with the field; international research project, “Borderlands: Ethnicity, Identity, and Violence in the strategic aspects of program planning and • plays, especially since the collapse of fundraising. Soviet hegemony and the end of the Shatter-Zones of Empires Since 1848.” In October 2004, the Center assisted cold war, a unique and important role in sponsoring an international research Editor: in the debate over the prospects for workshop for this project held on the Daniel Pinkerton, M.F.A. in playwriting, civil peace and economic prosperity in University of Minnesota campus. M.A. in European history, has worked at the Europe, stressing the insights offered by • CAS joined with faculty in the University Center since 1990. He has served as editor of Austria’s experience as a small neutral of Minnesota Law School and colleagues the Austrian Studies Newsletter since January state with an imperial past in the heart at the universities of Vienna and Graz to 1992 and editor of the Annual Report since hold a successful research workshop on new of the continent. 1991. He also assists the director in special developments in international public law and projects such as writing grants or preparing human rights law on the University campus CONTENTS in April 2004. A second such workshop is graphics for AHY. being planned for spring 2006 in Vienna. Staff 2 • Dr. Zbigniew Bochniarz, director of Student Staff: Publications 3 the Center for the Study of Nations in Arnold Lelis, a Ph.D. candidate in medieval Development 5 Transition, Hubert Humphrey Institute, European history, was editor of the CAS Events 6 University of Minnesota, and I completed website, editorial assistant for the Austrian Faculty 8 editorial work on a volume of selected, History Yearboook, and editorial assistant for Classes 9 revised essays deriving from the CAS the Austrian Studies Newsletter. Student Support 9 conference in fall 2002, “The Environment Mirjam Marits, CAS/BMBWK Research Research Partners 10 and Sustainable Development in the New Fellow, whose stipend was provided by the Outreach & Support 11 Central Europe: Austria and Its Neighbors.” Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Berghahn Books will publish it in 2006. Science, and Culture, is a Ph.D candidate in BMBWK Assistantship 12 • Franz Szabo, director, Wirth Institute for and . She coordinated Austrian and East Central European Studies Anglistik Amerikanistik ©2005, The Center for Austrian Studies at the University at the University of Alberta, Canada, and the lecture series, the travel grant competitions, of Minnesota. Designed and edited by Daniel Pinkerton. I continued editorial work on a volume and, along with Linda Andrean, the Austrian Editorial assistants: Arnold Lelis and Nicole Phelps. of selected essays from the CAS/Wirth student events. The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that Centre conference, “Embodiments of Power: Nicole Phelps, a Ph.D. candidate in Habsburg all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facili- ties, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, Building Baroque Cities in Austria and history, was assistant editor of the Austrian religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, veteran Europe,” held in fall 2003. History Yearbook and editorial assistant for the status, or sexual orientation. continued on page 5 Austrian Studies Newsletter. 2 Publications Founded in 1965 by the late R. John Rath, the Austrian History Yearbook remains the only English language journal devoted to the history of the Habsburg monarchy, modern Austria, and Central European lands with a common Habsburg heritage.