Her Excellency the Austrian Ambassador Gabriele Matzner will be discussing the representation of Austria in the UK public eye, in a lecture at Clare Hall this Wednesday.
Her Excellency the Austrian Ambassador Gabriele Matzner will be discussing the representation of Austria in the UK public eye, in a lecture at Clare Hall this Wednesday.
In her lecture 'Austria: Images and Reality', Ambassador Matzner, will address certain images of her country and comparing the stereo-types with accurate information.
"Austria, like any other country, evokes certain images, stereotypes with which it is associated in broader public opinion," states Ambassador Matzner.
"Some of them are positive, such as mountains, winter sports, cakes and music, others are less so, such as the Nazi past and the way it was dealt with in the post-war period. Stereotypes as snapshots seem inevitable and usually contain some truth. But they are nevertheless distortions of reality, even if often harmless."
Ambassador Matzner, a lawyer by training, has been representing Austria in the UK since November 2005, and has previously held diplomatic positions in Moscow, New York, Washington, Berlin, Bratislava and Tunis. She has published books on Austrian-German relations and on Slovakia, as well as articles on historical and foreign affairs questions.
Diversity and multiculturalism have always been at the heart of Clare Hall's traditions. When it was founded in 1966, it was created to be an environment for advanced learning with special provision for visiting academics from all over the world.
Today it has a truly multi-national environment, with students and fellows from 43 different countries working there. This lecture on the perception of different nationalities reflects the international events which happen regularly at Clare Hall.
"The University of Cambridge is an institution devoted to educating and enlightening young people interested in perceiving the world as it is," stated the Ambassador. "It constitutes an ideal platform for exposing and discussing this subject."
Ambassador Matzner will be giving her lecture 'Austria: Images and Reality' on Wednesday 14 March 6pm at Clare Hall. The event is free and open to all, for more details email alumni@clarehall.cam.ac.uk or call 01223 332368.
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