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Part I: Recollections and Reminiscences
Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of Central European History and Central European Studies: Taking Stock of the Journal and the Field
I became involved with what was then called the Conference Group for Central European History in early 1997, when I accepted Roger Chickering's invitation to succeed him as Executive Secretary and Treasurer. This put me in charge of preparing and distributing the biannual (now defunct) Newsletter and of carrying out a variety of other duties, including keeping track of the money and organizing the annual executive meeting and the Bierabend--a cash bar and convivial get-together for historians of Central Europe--at the annual conference of the American Historical Association. The Newsletter kept members of the Conference Group informed about matters relevant to Central European history, such as upcoming events, panels on German and Austrian history at the American Historical Association meeting, scholarships, fellowships, as well as events at the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, including the annual Transatlantic Doctoral Seminar. At one point, it was mailed separately to members and then, sometime later, published in Central European History.
I suppose I had suspected it would be more work than I had been led to believe, but, as someone living in the relative isolation of Mississippi, I was excited, especially in the beginning, about the challenge and the contacts. With Chickering's good advice and that of others who made up the executive committee over the years, I managed to keep things afloat without trouble during the...