\title {\bf Generalized blocks for symmetric groups}
\author{Burkhard K\"ulshammer
\and  J\o rn B. Olsson
\and  Geoffrey R. Robinson}

\thanks{Subject classification [2000] Primary 20C30, 20C15, 20C20}

\begin{abstract} We study,
via character-theoretic methods,
an $\ell$-analogue of the modular representation
theory of the symmetric group, for an arbitrary
integer $\ell \ge 2$. We find that many of the
invariants of the usual block theory (ie.
when $\ell$ is prime) generalize in a natural fashion
to this new context.
\end{abstract}