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Major Fields of Research and Teaching

 

1. Jewish History. The Institut für Zeitgeschichte has examined for years diverse aspects of Jewish history, the Holocaust, the National Socialist era, as well as post-war German and Austrian history. Numerous publications have resulted from this research. The international prize-winning TV-documentary on the concentration camps Buchenwald and Dachau following liberation is shown in the Holocaust-Memorial Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, on permanent loan from its producers Rolf Steininger (Institute Chairman) and Dr. Heribert Schwan (West German Television). The work produced in this area of research has been recognized by invitations for visiting semesters and international conferences in Israel and the U.S., as well as by foreign research grants. It is precisely the area of Jewish history following the Holocaust which has become a major field of international research. The Institut für Zeitgeschichte takes active part in this scientific discourse. In addition, regular course offerings – including research seminars – are conducted (e.g. Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust; Anti-Semitism in Austria; The Victims of Racial Persecution in Tyrol:1938-1945; Jewish Life after the Holocaust etc.). In 1992 the Institute signed an official treaty of cooperation with the Jewish Museum Hohenems, which resulted in several joint activities including a publication series. (The Jewish Community of Hohenems, a city in the federal province of Vorarlberg, had been one of the oldest Jewish communities in what is now the Republic of Austria.)
   
   
2. Austro-Israeli Relations since 1945. Major project in cooperation with the University of Tel Aviv and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (supported by the Austrian Federal Government), with its own publication series (first volume 1998, English translation 2000); relevant course offerings, excursion to Israel. Prof. Steininger and Dr. Albrich were members of the delegation during Vice-Chancellor Dr. Erhard Busek's official state visit to Israel in 1994.
   
   
3. Austria (First and Second Republics). Numerous publications.
   
   
4. Tyrol/South Tyrol/Vorarlberg. Numerous publications with local and regional emphasis. A ten-volume edition South Tyrol: Documents 1945-1969 is in preparation. Courses on the topic of South Tyrol are regularly offered.
   
   
5. European Integration. A "Study Group for European Integration (Austria)", founded at the Institute in 1994, conducts diverse projects and a book series with the Böhlau Publishing Company (Vienna-Cologne-Weimar), supported by the European Union, Brussels.
   
   
6. German History. Intensive work particularly in German history since 1945 – with numerous publications, excursions to the GDR (now East Germany).
   
   
7. Anglo-American History. Particularly the history of the U.S. from its beginnings to the Vietnam War, with emphasis on the 20^th Century.
   
   
8. Spanish History, Latin-American History.
   
   
9. "Displaced Persons", especially Jewish DPs. The Institute already has a virtually exclusive position in Austria concerning the scholarly review of this problem. In addition to conferences and a series of published works, dissertations and articles have been produced and others are currently in progress.
   
   
10. Collections. The Institute is the recipient to date of three collections of personal papers to examine and assess, that of long-time (1945-1953) Foreign Minister Dr. Karl Gruber, that of former Deputy-Governor of Tyrol, Dr. Hans Gamper, and that of Dr. Erich Kneußl, head of the 1947 established Innsbruck branch of the Federal Chancellery dealing with the repatriation of those South Tyroleans who had left their country after the Option in 1939.
    
    
11. Film- and Photo Archive. Film material is indispensable to the study of contemporary history. The Institute has consistently collected documentaries and films; its current holdings are 2000 documentaries. An expansion of the photograph collection, initiated with material from the National Archives in Washington, D.C., has been underway for the past two years.
    
    
12. Publications (as of April 2000). Members of the Institute have published 23 monographs, 2 document editions, 24 anthologies, and 180 articles (not including publications prior to joining to the Institute!). For detailed information, see under Publications of the members of the Institute.