1914:

The 2014 Conference of the Austrian Studies Association will find its focus in the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, the "Great War."

The conference will offer an interdisciplinary view of the culture and society of the Great War in Austria-Hungary and Central Europe, what led up to it, and how it has continued to echo in history, film, art, memorials, textbooks, city planning, literature, memory. Sessions touch on many facets of Central European and Austrian culture in the Great War, including the immediate successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including not just the war, but its sources, and its later legacies.

Conference Schedule and Keynote Information

• An updated program can be downloaded here.
• Preliminary additional conference information for those arriving early or looking to plan some sightseeing or shopping can be downloaded here.
• The Keynote Speech on Friday morning, opening the conference, will be given by Professor David Luft, Past President of the Association and Professor of History at Oregon State University. He'll speak on "The Transformation of Austrian Intellectual Life: 1900-1938/1939."
• The Conference sessions will be at the AT& T Center on Friday. Saturday sessions will be in rooms on the UT Campus. There will be NO Sunday sessions.
• Special event on Thursday night at the opening reception, held in the Governor's Room at the UT Student Union (West of the tower) -- WW I Propaganda materials. Opening reception will start at 6; presentation at 7:30 (please verify; final plans being made).
• The Conference Banquet will be held at Scholz's Garden on Saturday evening (included with registration}. This is part of the "Sängerrunde Hall" that has been open about a century; food is Texas and informal, and the beer is German/Czech in inspiration.

Accommodations and Travel

Your airport is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport; the conference will be at the conference hotel on Friday, and on the UT campus on Saturday and for the special events in the evening, a short block from the AT&T Center conference center.

See the accommodations and travel link, here or above, for detailed information. Please make your reservations through the direct link to the hotel booking site so we get credit for it against our guarantee. Our block of rooms is not large, but they must be used.

Conference Registration

Registration includes1) sumptuous break food on Friday (if you're not heavy breakfast person, you'll find enough to nibble on plus coffee and other beverages) at the AT&T Center; 2) coffee and light snacks available on Saturday during the breaks; 3) the Thursday opening reception; and 4) the Saturday banquet.

For other meals, the conference hotel has several food options (and a gourmet restaurant; reservations recommended for dinner), and the conference sites are very close to a food court (across the street to Dobie Mall) and to several cheap dining options, for which maps will be provided.

Speakers on the program are required to register and should be members of the association; guests are welcome to attend sessions and public events, with the option of attending the banquet on an individual ticket without full registration.

Sponsoring Organizations

This conference would not be possible without the support of four units at the University of Texas at Austin:

• the Department of German Studies, and Peter Hess, Chair
• the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and Mary Neuburger, DIrector
• the Center for European Studies, and Douglas Biow, Director
• the Department of History, and Allan Tully, Chair

The Austrian Studies Association (formerly: The Modern Austrian Literature and Culture Association) is a membership organization (http://www.austrian-studies.org/) founded in 1968 to support the cause of Austrian, Habsburg, and Central European studies in North America and Europe, especially through its peer-reviewed publication, the Journal of Austrian Studies, now in its 46th year. Its annual conferences have been interdisciplinary, transcultural, themed conferences (see http://www.austrian-studies.org/conf/ for prior conference programs).

To join the Association, subscribe to its journal by going to the ASA website at http://www.austrian-studies.org/ and click the "membership" link in the menu bar, which will take you to the website of the University of Nebraska Press, publisher of JAS.

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