Foreword

Summary

In the week from June 12th to June 17th, 1989, the functional analysis group of the Mathematics Department, Johannes-Kepier-Universitat at Linz played host to an international conference on the geometry of Banach spaces which was sponsored by the International Mathematical Union. This conference united 119 participants from 27 countries, including most of the leading specialists in the field, for a week of intensive study and discussion on recent progress. The scientific programme consisted of 23 plenary lectures which were held by a number of experts invited by the members of the organizing committee. In addition, there were a series of half-hour talks held in parallel sessions.

It is the pleasant duty of the editors of the proceedings of the above conference to express their gratitude to the following persons and organisations whose support, financial or otherwise, played an important role in its successful realisation:

The members of the organizing committee

Jean Bourgain, IHES, Bures-sur-Yvette

Nassif Ghoussoub, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

William Johnson, Texas A&M University

Hermann König, University of Kiel

Joram Lindenstrauss, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem

Bernard Maurey, Université de Paris VII

Aleksander Pelczynski, Academy of Sciences, Warsaw

Gilles Pisier, Université de Paris VI and Texas A&M University

Haskell Rosenthal, University of Texas, Austin

for their help in arranging of the details of the scientific programme.

The following organizations for their financial assistance:

1. – International Mathematical Union

2. – Österreic his dies Bundesministeriu m für Wlssensc haft und Forschung

3. – Linzer Hochschulfonds

4. – Land Oberösterreich

5. – Handelskammer Oberösterreich

6. – Verband der Versicherungsunternehmen Österreichs,

7. – Wiener Städtische Versicherung.