AUSTRIAN RESEARCH CENTER for TRANSCULTURAL STUDIES

The Austrian Research Center for Transcultural Studies (ARCTS) is a registered professional research organization that fosters an interdisciplinary approach to studies of social and behavioral sciences. This research institute enables the study of inter-cultural influences and exchanges between the German-speaking countries and the three broad regions of North America, the United Kingdom/Ireland, and Oceania. Its program includes commissioning professional research, organizing seminar classes and workshops, and publishing the ARCTS Newsletter, the source for information regarding events within the organization. The organization has the following research projects currently under commission:

• The marketing of contemporary Austrian literature in Anglo-Saxon contexts
• Examining diversity as a nationalist argument in the EU-27 countries
• The reception of shamanism in Austrian psychiatry and psychotherapy
• The construction of paraphilia in American and Austrian psychiatry
• Oceanic literature in European translation

The ARCTS' Aims

• Promote inter-disciplinary research, collaboration, and links
• Promote ethical research and scholarship between different disciplines and regions
• Enhance trans-cultural approaches to social and behavioral research between different geographic regions
• Foster the use of English in the German academic landscape
• Work closely with overseas academics and institutions (including funding conferences and seminars)

Officers & Academic Staff

Anna Skvarc, Director, is Ass. Prof. Emerita of Neurology and Psychiatry. She studied Psychiatry and Neurology in Austria and is a registered medical psychotherapist. Anna has published widely on neuroscience, among other subjects, in Neurology, Der Nervenarzt, and The Lancet. Anna is responsible for commissioning projects in the field of behavioral sciences. She is currently researching the reception of "shamanism" in Austrian psychiatry and psychotherapy. Anna is also the convener of the two summer seminars on psychiatry and social reality (exact dates to be announced in the newsletter).

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Brian J. Edwards, Vice Director, studied Pathology and Biochemistry in his native Canada, the UK and Germany. He has been involved in research on rehabilitation therapy and trans-cultural approaches to health and rehabilitation studies. Michael is particularly interested in the medical construction of disability, which is also reflected in his publications that appeared in British as well as American journals.

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Oliver Haag, Senior Research Fellow, studied History and Literature at the U of Vienna (MA) and at the U of Edinburgh (PhD). His main areas of research are in Australasian history and literature, and the politics of marketing translated Oceanic literature. Oliver has published on these subjects, among others, in Aboriginal History, Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (JASAL), and Zeitschrift für Genozidforschung (Journal of Genocide Research). He is currently engaged in a research on ‘postcolonial representations of Indigeneity in German texts’.

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Maria Singh, Adjunct Research Fellow, studied Law and Philosophy in the United States and the United Kingdom. She has published in the areas of philosophy and legal studies and is interested in the construction of race and culture in legal decisions in the UK.

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council's role is to provide independent advice to the officers on the feasibility, intellectual creativity, and originality of research projects and seminar/lecture proposals. For more information on the Advisory Council and its members, refer to the ARCTS' newsletters.

Programs & Events

For a summary of events and details, refer to the ARCTS' newsletters.

Lectures and courses in 2017:

• History of Austrian Psychiatry (A. Skvarc)
• The Reception of Richard von Krafft-Ebing’s Psychopathia sexualis (B. Edwards)
• Introduction to Indian Philosophy (M. Singh)
• Postkoloniale Literatur in Übersetzung (O. Haag)
• Postcolonial Literature in German Language (O. Haag)

Employment & Funding

Employment @ the ARCTS: There are currently no job vacancies. Future job vacancies will be announced as they arise.

Funding of research projects and dissertations: The ARCTS funds research projects and doctoral theses according to the following eligibility criteria:

• Research proposals must meet the ARCTS' aim and scope.
• Contact the ARCTS' acting president with an outline of your research proposal.
• All research reports (including proposals) must be written in English. Applications in German will not be considered.
• The ARCTS' requires a high level of English proficiency (IELTS-academic or TOEFL score reports must be provided) and proficient knowledge of German.
• Applicants must be EU citizens.

Contact

Austrian Research Center for Transcultural Studies (Österreichisches Forschungszentrum für Transkulturelle Studien)

Burg Office:
Am See 2-9
7473 Burg
Austria
Tel: (0043) 665.651.46.014

Vienna Office:
Mariahilferstr. 119-13
1060 Vienna
Austria
Tel: (0043) 1.595.3439

Fax: (0043) 3352.32609.4
Email:

ZVR-number: 708004349