NATIONAL SOCIETY ACTIVITIES - AUSTRIA

"The Eighteenth Century  and the Habsburg Monarchy".

The Austrian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (OGE 18) is focusing its endeavours on interdisciplinary research on the multinational and multicultural Habsburg Monarchy of the 18th century. At that time the Habsburg Monarchy was a leading political and cultural power in the centre of Europe, a power which exerted influence on all the territories of this continent, and, by turns, received impulses by them. Knowledge of these interdependencies as well as of the internal structures of the Habsburg Monarchy is therefore constitutive for our view on the European 18th century and the developments resulting from it - not only in Europe.

The website (http://www.oege18.org) gives information on the Society's publications, yearbooks, seminars, conferences and workshops, as well as the Franz Stephan Prize, named for Francis Stephen of Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor (1708-1765), husband of Maria Theresa (1717-1780). This prize, commemorating the trailblazing role Francis Stephen of Lorraine played in many fields, is awarded every other year to authors of outstanding thesis and is financed with the financial support of the Austrian Ministry of Culture and Research.

Together with societies from other countries the OGE 18 joins forces in the International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ISECS). The respective "national" Yearbooks constitute an important instrument for exchange within this international network. Similar to the other societies the OGE 18 is also organized in an interdisciplinary way: its members belong to disciplines as diverse as general history, philology, history of art, musicology, history of education etc. At the same time the OGE 18 has an international touch as well: apart from Austrian members it consists of many members from abroad.

In its contents the "Yearbook" reflects this interdisciplinary and multicultural attitude of the OGE 18. Central themes are treated from the point of view of various disciplines mirroring various cultural contexts. Added to these are "free papers", miscellanea, reports on the state of research in various fields, and book reviews. All items are peer-reviewed.

Articles which do not respond to a "call for papers" should be addressed to Wolfgang Schmale (president@oege18.org); Johannes Frimmel (rezension@oege18.org) is responsible for the section on book-reviews.