GESELLSCHAFT FÜR AUSTRALIENSTUDIEN

ASSOCIATION FOR AUSTRALIAN STUDIES

Australia is an attractive, highly developed, forward-looking country enjoying close ties with Europe. People from many different backgrounds have in modern times created a multicultural society there, and it is one that possesses its own many thousand-year-old aboriginal tradition. Against this background Australian studies spring naturally from the most varied sources and involve a variety of disciplines, such as:

Anthropology

Architecture

Biology

Ethnology

Film and television

Geography

History

Art and music

Language and literature

Medicine

Nature studies

Politics

Social sciences

Economics and tourism

Founded in 1989, the Association for Australian Studies is a politically independent, interdisciplinary organisation devoted in the public interest to furthering scholarship concerned in the broadest way with Australia and to promoting Australian studies, both in teaching and research, in German-speaking countries. The association works at the same time to intensify academic, scientific and cultural relations between German-speaking countries and Australia and to overcome any cultural barriers that may exis t between these areas. In furtherance of these goals the association organises specialist congresses and lectures, publishes academic papers and studies and engages in a regular exchange of views and experiences.

Members of the association are chiefly engaged in teaching, research, study or public activities relevant to Australia, or are those whose interest supports such work.

Current Chairperson:
Professor Dr. Rudolf Bader, Bremgarten bei Bern/CH.

Former Chairpersons:
Professor Horst Priessnitz, University of Wuppertal (1990 - 1992)
Professor Gerhard Stilz, University of Tübingen (1993 - 1995)
Professor Manfred Brusten, University of Wuppertal (1996-1998)

In its annual newsletter (ed. H. Prießnitz) the Association for Australian Studies publishes recent academic work and current information about Australia. The association's interdisciplinary congresses are held every two years. The proceedings of these meetings have until 1997 been published in the series German-Australian Studies by Peter Lang, Bern. To date the series comprises the following titles:

Stilz, G. / Lamping, H. (ed.), Australienstudien: Grundlagen und Perspektiven [Australian Studies: Foundations and Perspectives] (1990)
Stilz, G. (ed.), Mensch und Natur in Australien [Man and Nature in Australia] (1992)
Stilz, G. / Bader, R. (ed.), Australien zwischen Europa und Asien [Australia between Europe and Asia] (1993)
Stilz, G. (ed.), Australienreisen - Von der Expedition zum Tourismus [Australian Journeys - From Expedition to Tourism] (1995)

Futher publications supported by the Association for Australian Studies:

Bader, R. (ed.), Australien. Eine interdisziplinäre Einführung. [Australia. An Interdisciplinary Introduction] Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag 1996.
Prießnitz, H. / Spies, M., Neuere Informationsmittel zur Literatur Australiens: Ein bibliographischer Essay. [Recent Information on Australian Literature: a Bibliographical Essay] Hamburg: LIT 1996.
Schürmann-Zeggel, H., Black Australian Literature: A Bibliography (1997)
Schürmann-Zeggel, H., Autobiography and Life Writing: Identitätskonstruktion in schwarzaustralischen Life Stories [Identity Structures in Black Australian Life Stories] (1998)

Since 1997 the publications of the association appear under their own name (ed. R. Bader/R. Grotz/H. Prießnitz/G. Stilz) 'KOALAS' with Stauffenburg, Tübingen.

Stilz, G. (ed.), Gold - Geld - Geltung: Ressourcen und Ziele der australischen Gesellschaft [Gold - Money - Standing: Resources and Goals of Australian Society] (1997)
Wimmer, A. (ed.), Australian Nationalism Reconsidered. Maintaining a Monocultural Tradition in a Multicultural Society (1999)
Bader, R. (ed.), Australien auf dem Weg ins 21. Jahrhundert. Bilanzen, Standortbestimmungen, Visionen (2000)

Annual membership fees are € 36 for individual members (€ 18 for students), € 50 for family membership (€ 25 for students) and € 103 for institute-members. These fees may be offset against tax. Enquiries about membership should be directed to the chairperson or one of his deputies at the following addresses:

Professor Dr. Rudolf Bader Römerstraße 35 Bremgarten bei Bern CH-3047 Schweiz Tel.: 0041 31 3010711 Fax: 0041 31 3010722 E-Mail: rudolf.bader@bluewin.ch	Dr. Boris Braun Geographical Institute University of Mannheim 68131 Mannheim Tel.: +49/(0)621-181-1950/1951 Fax: +49/(0)621-181-3132 E-Mail: braun@giub.uni-bonn.de URL: http://www.giub.uni-bonn.de/grotz/braun.html
Frank Di Marco, M.A. Lilienstrasse 3 70825 Korntal-Münchingen Tel.: +49/(0)7150-82561 Fax: +49/(0)7150-8948 E-Mail: fcdimarco@aol.com