Hypergroups occur in a wide variety of contexts, and mathematicians the world over have been discovering this same mathematical structure hidden in very different applications. The diverse viewpoints on the subject have led to the need for a common perspective, if not a common theory.

Presenting the proceedings of a Joint Summer Research Conference held in Seattle in the summer of 1993, this book will serve as a valuable starting point and reference tool for the wide range of users of hypergroups and make it easier for an even larger audience to use these structures in their work.