The Botstiber Podcast

The Botstiber Podcast

by Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies

History Documentary

Season 3

Christmas in Vienna Pt.2 | Holiday Traditions from the Austrian Alps

In this, the inaugural Botstiber Christmas special, ten individuals from across Austria share with us their experiences from the country's many Christmastime festivities. Join us, as their stories take us from bustling Christmas markets in Salzburg to cozy, alpine cottages visited by Saint Nicholas and the dreaded Krampus. Part two of Christmas in Vienna brings us to Christmas Eve and the 12 days of Christmas that follow. Unlike in the United States, Christmas Eve is often the height of celebration and gift giving across Austria. Holiday cheer is abundant, with stories of the Christkind (Eng: Christ Child), ancient traditions like the Rauhnächte (Eng: Smoke Nights), or more recent customs like the Friedenslicht (Eng: Light of Peace). __________ Narrated by: Valerie Arapis Edited by: Daniel Fullam Scripted by: Luke Morgante A huge thank you to our Austrian guests who shared these memories with us, making the Christmas special possible: Gerald Steinacher, Günter Bischof, Ivett Rita Guntersdorfer, Finja Draxler, Valentina Funes-Rainer, Lena Höllebrand, Lilly Maier, Julia Secklehner, Kathrin Seel, and Christoph Kapeller. __________ Christmas in Vienna Pt.1 | St.Nikolaus, Krampus and the Perchten If you enjoyed, please like and subscribe to the Botstiber Institute to receive notifications of future podcasts. Part three is coming soon, with the full special releasing on Christmas Eve.

Nina Kaiser | Transatlantic Law: Hans Gross and John Henry Wigmore

Joining the episode from the University of Graz in southern Austria, Nina Kaiser discusses the important contributions made to criminology and evidence law by the Austrian jurist Hans Gross and his American contemporary, John Henry Wigmore. Supported by the Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies, Kaiser's groundbreaking research also analyzes the intellectual relationship shared by Gross and Wigmore, and its impacts on both sides of the Atlantic. __________ You can find more from Nina Kaiser and her work, at the following links: Hans Gross Center for Interdisciplinary Criminal Sciences Karl Franzens Universität Graz - Nina Kaiser

Christmas in Vienna Pt.1 | St. Nikolaus, Krampus and the Perchten

In this, the inaugural Botstiber Christmas special, ten individuals from across Austria share with us their experiences from the country's many Christmastime festivities. Join us, as their stories take us from bustling Christmas markets in Salzburg to cozy, alpine cottages visited by Saint Nicholas and the dreaded Krampus. Part one of Christmas in Vienna brings us to December 5th and 6th, also known as Krampus Day and Nikolaus Day. For those of us on the nice list, there may be a visit from St.Nikolaus to look forward to; however, those that were naughty must beware of a visit from Krampus and the Winter demons (Perchten)... __________ Narrated & scripted by: Luke Morgante Edited by: Daniel Fullam A huge thank you to our Austrian guests who shared these memories with us, making the Christmas special possible: Gerald Steinacher, Günter Bischof, Ivett Rita Guntersdorfer, Finja Draxler, Valentina Funes-Rainer, Lena Höllebrand, Lilly Maier, Julia Secklehner, Kathrin Seel, and Christoph Kapeller. __________ If you enjoyed, please like and subscribe to the Botstiber Institute to receive notifications of future podcasts. Parts two and three are coming soon, with the full special releasing on Christmas Eve.

If Passports Could Talk #2 | Gerald Steinacher

In this episode, Austrian-American guest Gerald Steinacher takes us on a journey from the mountain peaks of Tyrol to the Great Plains of Nebraska. Along the way, Steinacher has contributed greatly to the field of Austrian-American studies. Currently the James A. Rawley Professor of History at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Steinacher has published multiple works on topics such as the Holocaust, Fascism and Denazification. If you enjoyed the episode and would like to hear more from Gerald Steinacher, you can find his work at the following links: Humanitarians at War: The Red Cross in the Shadow of the Holocaust (2017) Nazis on the Run: How Hitler's Henchmen Fled Justice (2012)

Lilly Maier | Arthur Kern: Light in Dark Times

Join host Luke Morgante for an engaging conversation with Viennese historian and author, Lilly Maier. In the episode, Lilly and Luke discuss the incredible life story of Arthur Kern, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust who, after being forced to separate from his family, escaped to the United States as a child. Arthur and Lilly's stories became interconnected in 2003 when he returned to his childhood home in Vienna for the first time since fleeing — a turn-of-the-century apartment where young Lilly was now living with her mother. This fateful meeting would compel Lilly to pursue a life as a historian, uncovering the stories of Arthur's escape and thousands of others impacted during the period. If you would like to hear more about Arthur and Lilly: The Girl and the Holocaust Survivor (2023), she will be completing a book tour from Oct.-Dec. 2023. Find more information, here: US Book Tour Lilly Maier – Lilly Maier (wordpress.com)

If Passports Could Talk #1 | Günter Bischof

In this captivating narrative podcast episode, we embark on a journey through the remarkable life of Austrian-American historian Günter Bischof. Raised in the alpine village of Mellau, Austria, Bischof's path to becoming a renowned historian is a tale of transcontinental exploration. We follow him from his academic origins in Europe, where he earned his master's degree at the University of Innsbruck, to his transformative move to the United States, where he became a naturalized American citizen, earned his PhD at Harvard University, and later settled down in the bayous of Louisiana. As a professor at the University of New Orleans, Bischof played a pivotal role in expanding the university's history program and fostering cultural exchange between Austria and the U.S. His research delves deep into the intricate web of transatlantic relations and diplomacy, particularly during the 20th century. Along the way, Bischof's passion for history, his work as an author, and his role as a cultural ambassador come to life, leaving a lasting imprint on both academia and the ties between Austria and the United States. Join us as we unravel the compelling chapters of Günter Bischof's life, a journey that echoes the intertwined history of two continents. Find more from Günter Bischof, below: Relationships/Beziehungsgeschichten: Austria and the United States in the Twentieth Century (2015) Towards the American Century: Austrians in the United States Visual Histories of Austria (2021)

Larry Wolff | Karl, Zita, and the Woman Without a Shadow

When Austro-Hungarian Emperor Karl and Empress Zita embarked on their exile from Austria in 1919, it marked the conclusion of the Habsburg family's rule over Europe after several hundred years. In this episode, historian and author Larry Wolff joins Luke Morgante of the Botstiber Institute to underline the significance of this transition, and how Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss' fictitious opera, Die Frau Ohne Schatten (1919), reflected the sociopolitical changes that were rapidly reshaping Europe. In Wolff's new book, The Shadow of the Empress: Fairy-Tale Opera and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy (Stanford, 2023), he tactfully explains the importance of this period, highlighting the similarities of Hofmannsthal and Strauss's fictional empress with the final Habsburg Empress Zita. An emphasis is placed on the conceptual change of monarchs from political leaders, to figures more closely associated with fairy-tales and cultural symbolism. Larry Wolff is the Julius Silver Professor of European History at New York University, the executive director of the NYU Remarque Institute, and the co-director of NYU Florence at Villa La Pietra. His books include Disunion within the Union: The Uniate Church and the Partitions of Poland (HURI, 2019), Woodrow Wilson and the Reimagining of Eastern Europe (Stanford, 2019), The Idea of Galicia: History and Fantasy in Habsburg Political Culture (Stanford, 2010), and Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment (Stanford, 1994). He is the longtime book review editor for Harvard Ukrainian Studies, and he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Tara Zahra | 20th Century Globalism, The Spanish Flu, and Rosika Schwimmer

A professor of modern European history and the Habsburg monarchy at the University of Chicago, Tara Zahra joins this episode of The Botstiber Podcast to discuss the concepts of globalism and anti-globalism, as they evolved throughout the early 20th century. Important figures and norm-shattering events of the era helped shape international sentiment in a rapidly globalizing world. Listen in to learn more about them and how they may inform us of similar issues, today. Intro/Outro Song: "Rosen aus dem Süden, Op. 338 (1880)" by Johann Strauss II (Link)

Andrew Nagorski | Saving Freud

Sigmund Freud has an immense legacy of unraveling the mysteries of the human psyche. While his professional exploits are well-known, the dramatic story of this Jewish-Austrian scientist's escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna has often been overlooked. In this podcast, long-time author and former Newsweek editor and foreign correspondent, Andrew Nagorski, discusses the exhilarating life that Freud led, the equally engaging stories of his diverse group of rescuers, and the deeply human reasons that convinced him to remain in Vienna despite months of Nazi harassment following the Anschluss, in 1938. Intro/Outro Song: "Overture & Act 1 - Don Giovanni (1787)" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Link)

Deborah Cohen | The Reporters Who Took on A World at War

Following WWI, five American journalists carved out their legacies abroad as foreign correspondents. These five, referred to as the "Inner Circle" by Professor Cohen, were paramount to reporting on the dismaying rise of dictators and fascism in the early-mid 20th century. From uncertain interviews with Hitler to friendly letters with Nehru, listen in as Professor Cohen and Luke discuss the experiences that helped the Inner Circle warn fellow Americans of a looming war in Europe, and how their duties as reporters overlapped with their personal lives. Intro/Outro Song: "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise (1922)" by Isham Jones & The Benson Orchestra of Chicago (Link)

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