Austrian Studies Association Conference 2027
April 15-18, 2027
Center for Austrian Studies
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN
We invite proposals for the 2027 conference of the Austrian Studies Association, to be hosted by the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. The conference features research papers on diverse aspects of Austrian, Austro-Hungarian or Habsburg literature, culture, and history from the premodern to the present day. The conference theme is Points of Departure: Austria as Crossroads and Destination / Ausgangspunkte: Österreich als Kreuzung und Zielpunkt. Presentations will thematize Austria as a destination and as part of a larger cultural expanse, as well as transitions between these physical spaces, political or cultural boundaries, and metaphorical framings. Diverse disciplinary and historical perspectives are encouraged.
Possible topics include:
- –Space, geography, environment, architecture and infrastructure, urban planning
- –Tourism, travel, museums, collecting, exhibiting, preserving, questioning, decolonization
- –Migration, displacement, demographic transformations
- –Multiculturalism, multilingualism
- –Literary and artistic productions, circulations, translations
- –Tradition and hybridity in music, art, food
- –Applied arts, personal objects, interiors
- –Intellectual histories and genealogies
- –Alps as crossroads, destination, and home/habitat
- –Demographic shifts and rural space (idealized/abandoned/threatened/politicized)
- –War, refuge, and its (multi)cultural manifestations
- –Human and nonhuman crossroads
Prospective participants are invited to submit individual paper proposals. Proposals for panels of four presenters are also welcome; they should bring together colleagues at different career stages from more than one institution. Moderators will be invited from among conference participants.
Please submit your abstract of 250-300 words along with a brief bio (150 words max.) to casahy@umn.edu with the subject line “2027 ASA Conference Proposal” by 13 November 2026. Accepted participants will be notified by January 2027.
We will also offer an open-topic poster session specifically for undergraduate students. Please encourage outstanding undergraduates to submit an abstract (150-200 words) on any topic related to Austrian literature, culture, history, and film to participate in the poster session. Undergraduates must include the name and email of a faculty member who has advised the project.
The conference will be held in German and English; papers and panels may be proposed in either language or in both. Some financial support may be available for undergraduate and graduate student attendees, as well as contingent faculty.
Questions relating to submissions can also be sent to casahy@umn.edu.
Information about travel grants is forthcoming! Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook page. You can also join our email list here: https://www.austrian-studies.org/listserv-for-asa/
Conference Program Committee:
Meyer Weinshel (Center for Austrian Studies, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities)
Britt Abel (Macalester College)
Kiley Kost (Carleton College)
Seth Peabody (Carleton College)
Amanda Randall (St. Olaf College)
