When the ninth congress of SIEF takes place in Derry in 2008, the society
celebrates its 80th anniversary. As an international scholarly society it has
served as a catalyst for cooperation, exchange and debates. However, its long
history has been strongly marked not only by national differences, but also by
uncertainties and existential doubts – as to whether it comprises one or more
disciplines, the relationship to general ethnology or anthropology, and whether
it should cover thematically only Europe or the whole world. Even the name of
the discipline has been a bone of contention. The article traces the motivation
for international cooperation within the field(s) and discusses the problems of
the unity of the discipline(s), its definition and delimitation, with a focus on
the postwar period.
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