Paul Lerner

BIAAS issued a grant for $4,500 to Paul Lerner to explore how American consumer culture was shaped by Austrian émigrés. Lerner’s study seeks to show that “American” retail culture was actually heavily influences by Austria, through Victor Gruen, and Ernest Dichter. This project will result in a finished book as well as server scholarly journals. Tags: B, A; C, M

Paul Lerner earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and has worked as a professor at the University of Southern California. He has served as the director of the Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies and has written numerous books on consumerism in Europe.