The Forty-Second Annual Conference of the German Studies Association was held in Pittsburgh, PA from September 27–30, 2018. The conference brings together over 1,000 scholars in the areas of politics, history, literature, and culture of the German-speaking world.

Austria was represented by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science, and Research, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY), and the Austrian Press and Information Service in Washington, DC. As part of this year’s Remembrance Year activities, the ACFNY supported a special panel organized by the University of Vienna on “1918, 1938, and 1945: Three places of memory in Austrian history.”

Both the Science Ministry and the ACFNY traditionally support young scholars through travel grants, enabling them to participate in the conference, present their research papers and dissertation projects and foster international connections in the world of academia. Christoph Ramoser, Head of the Science Ministry’s international department, and ACFNY Deputy Director Christian Ebner presented this year’s travel stipends during an evening reception.

As in previous years, the Austrian Press and Information Service, in cooperation with the Austrian Marshall Plan Center for European Studies at The University of New Orleans, hosted the Austrian Desk in the conference’s exhibit area. The desk showcases recent publications in the field of Austrian studies and the ACFNY’s literature program, and also serves as a popular meeting point for Austrianists throughout the conference.