“American Studies: History, Methods, Prospects”

In 1947, three Harvard students brought together scholars and intellectuals from eighteen countries to think about the future of democracy and civilization at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria. Officially called The Harvard Student Council’s Salzburg Seminar in American Civilization, the first session was an intensive six-week summer school and so successful that it became institutionalized as an annual meeting, currently under the name Salzburg Global American Studies Program. The first session not only laid the foundation for the Salzburg Global Seminar – a global think tank with a variety of programs and initiatives at Schloss Leopoldskron –, but was instrumental in the development of American Studies as an academic field of study in Austria in particular and in Europe in general.
We invite applications for a four-day workshop entitled “American Studies: History, Methods, Prospects” to take place September 21-24, 2023 at UNIPARK, Salzburg. The workshop highlights the historical development of the academic field of American Studies, its various theoretical and methodological perspectives, and its (future) role in the humanities and society at large. It brings together early career researchers in American Studies to provide a forum for their own research and also to foster future collaborations between young Americanists from Austria and Bavaria.
Our workshop gives 15 PhD students of American Studies, broadly conceived, from all over Austria and Bavaria the opportunity to present and discuss their respective projects. Successful applicants are expected to prepare a 15-minute presentation that will be followed by a 30-minute discussion. A reception at and guided tour through Schloss Leopoldskron, the home of the Salzburg Global Seminar, as well as other activities will also be part of the workshop.
Thanks to generous funding from the U.S. Embassy Vienna and the Bavarian American Academy (BAA) we are able to reimburse travel expenses and accommodation for all participants. Additional support comes from the Salzburg Global Seminar, the Department of English & American Studies at the University of Salzburg, and Austria’s Young Americanists (AYA)