The Botstiber Podcast

Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies

The Habsburg Empire may have collapsed following WWI, but the impacts left by the diverse multilingual state continue to affect the world, today. The Botstiber Podcast brings together historians, politicians, authors and more to help illustrate the connections shared by the various lands of the former Habsburg Empire and the United States.

  1. A is for Austria:Austria's Sherlock Holmes: Hans Gross and the Graz School of Criminalistics

    12/17/2025

    A is for Austria:Austria's Sherlock Holmes: Hans Gross and the Graz School of Criminalistics

    What does an Austria jurist have to do with the FBI? In the second episode of the A is for Austria podcast, Priv. Doz. Christian Bachhiesl, director of the Museum im Lavanthaus, answers this question and many more. We'll carefully examine the Austrian origins of criminology and criminal science, investigate the contributions of Hans Gross and others, as well as explore their lasting impact upon the United States and beyond. - Christian Bachhiesl's Website (German only): https://christianbachhiesl.com/ - Museum im Lavanthaus: https://www.museum-lavanthaus.at/besucher/information-english/ - Austria-Forum, Essays on Criminalistics and Criminology (English and German): https://austria-forum.org/af/Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Kriminalistik_und_Kriminologie - Styrian Historical Commission (Historische Landeskommission für Steiermark; German only): https://www.hlk.steiermark.at HLK Blog (German only): https://www.hlk.steiermark.at/cms/ziel/153524465/DE/ - Hans Gross Museum of Criminology: https://universitaetsmuseen.uni-graz.at/en/locations/hans-gross-museum-of-criminology/ - University of Graz - Hans Gross Center for Interdisciplinary Criminal Sciences: https://zentrum-kriminalwissenschaften.uni-graz.at/en/ - University of Graz - Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, and Criminology: https://strafrecht.uni-graz.at/en/ - University of Graz - Department of History: https://geschichte.uni-graz.at/en/ - University of Klagenfurt - Department of History (German only): https://www.aau.at/geschichte/

    55 min
  2. If Passports Could Talk: A Life Between Worlds with Lonnie Johnson

    07/22/2025

    If Passports Could Talk: A Life Between Worlds with Lonnie Johnson

    In this episode of If Passports Could Talk, we journey through five decades of cultural exchange and international education with Lonnie R. Johnson. Lonnie R. Johnson was born in 1952 and grew up in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. As a humanities major as St. John’s University in Minnesota, a small Benedictine men’s liberal arts college, he was encouraged by an Austrian professor of German to go to Vienna to “see the real thing,” and he spent his senior year of college on a junior-year-abroad program in Vienna, 1973-74. This marked the beginning of an improbable but accomplished fifty-year career on the Austrian-American interfaces of international higher education, academic exchange, and research. His book Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends (Oxford University Press, 1996, 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2010) is widely acknowledged as a standard work for students interested in the region. His previous books include Introducing Austria (Österreichischer Bundesverlag, Vienna, 1985; Ariadne Press, Riverside, CA, 1987) and with Inge Lehne, Vienna: The Past in the Present, (Riverside: Ariadne Press, 1995: 2nd revised edition of the Austrian 1st edition (Vienna: Österreichischer Bundesverlag, 1985)). This episode is a tribute to the intellectual wanderer—and to the power of cultural diplomacy done quietly, persistently, and well. https://www.amazon.com/Central-Europe-Enemies-Neighbors-Friends/dp/0195100719?ref_=ast_author_dp

    54 min
  3. Marc Landry | White Coal: Austrian Hydropower Through Monarchy, Fascism, and the Marshall Plan

    02/14/2025

    Marc Landry | White Coal: Austrian Hydropower Through Monarchy, Fascism, and the Marshall Plan

    How did hydropower shape Austria’s modern history? In our latest episode, we dive into Mountain Battery: The Alps, Water, and Power in the Fossil Fuel Age (2025) with its author, Marc Landry. From the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy to the rise of National Socialism and post-WWII reconstruction under the Marshall Plan, the story of hydropower—often called "white coal"—intersects with key moments in Austrian history. Marc Landry serves as Marshall Plan Endowed Professor in Austrian Studies and Director of Center Austria at the University of New Orleans. Landry was the Fulbright-Botstiber Visiting Professor in Austrian-American Studies at the University of Innsbruck, in 2016. __________ You can find Mountain Battery: The Alps, Water, and Power in the Fossil Fuel Age (2025), here: https://www.sup.org/books/history/mountain-battery Learn more about Marc Landry's work at the Austrian Marshall Plan Center for European Studies at the University of New Orleans: https://www.centeraustria.org/ __________ Who we are: The Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies (BIAAS) promotes an understanding of the historic relationship between the United States and Austria, including the lands of the former Habsburg empire, by awarding grants and fellowships, organizing lectures and conferences, and publishing the Journal of Austrian-American History. We engage with a broader public audience through digital programming, including videos, podcasts and blog posts. For more information go to https://www.botstiberbiaas.org or follow us on our various social media accounts! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botstiberinstitute X: https://www.twitter.com/BotstiberBIAAS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BotstiberBIAAS Auf Wiedersehen! / Until next time!

    1h 10m
  4. Judith Eiblmayr | Elizabeth Scheu-Close: An Architect's Life from Vienna to Minnesota

    12/17/2024

    Judith Eiblmayr | Elizabeth Scheu-Close: An Architect's Life from Vienna to Minnesota

    In this episode, we are joined by Judith Eiblmayr, a distinguished Austrian architect and insightful writer on the history and evolution of architecture. Our conversation highlights the extraordinary life and legacy of Elizabeth Scheu-Close, a trailblazing Austrian-American architect. Born in 1912 Vienna, Elizabeth—often known as Lisl—was exposed to some of the most influential thinkers and creatives of her time, inspiring her early passion for architecture. Despite the challenges of entering a field largely dominated by men, she pursued her dream with determination. Her journey led her to the United States, where she earned a degree from MIT in Boston and later established herself professionally in Philadelphia. In 1938, she and her husband, Win Close, founded the firm Close and Scheu Architects, through which she contributed to numerous significant projects, including Ferguson Hall at the University of Minnesota. Elizabeth Scheu-Close is celebrated today as one of the most important figures in modern Austrian-American architecture. __________ Find more from our guest, Judith Eiblmayr: https://www.eiblmayr.at/de/ __________ Intro and Outro Music: https://archive.org/details/lp_franz-lehars-the-merry-widow_dorothy-kirsten-robert-rounseville-the-mer __________ Who we are: The Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies (BIAAS) promotes an understanding of the historic relationship between the United States and Austria, including the lands of the former Habsburg empire, by awarding grants and fellowships, organizing lectures and conferences, and publishing the Journal of Austrian-American History. We engage with a broader public audience through digital programming, including videos, podcasts and blog posts. For more information go to https://www.botstiberbiaas.org or follow us on our various social media accounts! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botstiberinstitute Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BotstiberBIAAS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BotstiberBIAAS Auf Wiedersehen! / Until next time!

    43 min

About

The Habsburg Empire may have collapsed following WWI, but the impacts left by the diverse multilingual state continue to affect the world, today. The Botstiber Podcast brings together historians, politicians, authors and more to help illustrate the connections shared by the various lands of the former Habsburg Empire and the United States.