Journal of Austrian Studies

In the double issue that marked the beginning of the fiftieth year of publication of the Journal of Austrian Studies (JAS 50.1–2), we looked back on a half century of steady expansion in what constituted the subjects of analysis under the journal’s various manifestations and reaffirmed our commitment to continue the longstanding tradition of opening the journal to new areas of scholarship. We then pledged to devote ourselves in the coming years to attracting and featuring new scholars and new areas of scholarship. “In particular,” we wrote at the time, “we hope to see the journal open up to an increasingly broad definition of ‘Austria’ that moves beyond the borders of the current republic and takes in the many nationalities, languages, and cultures of the former Habsburg empire” (Herzog and Herzog xv). With this special issue of the JAS, guest-edited by Sławomir Piontek of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, and featuring scholars based in Budapest, Plzeň, Sarajevo, and Kraków, we begin to realize this hope of expanding the scope of Austrian studies—and, indeed, the notion of Austria—and embracing new perspectives on issues of Austrian and European identity both historical and contemporary. We hope that you enjoy this issue as much as we have and look forward to continuing this journey in the years to come. [End Page 1]