3. MIRROR IMAGES - IMAGES MIRRORED

In its linguistic, cultural and informative capacity
the Goethe-Institut follows two basic principles:
partnership with and orientation towards the
requirements of the host country.

At the same time the Goethe-Institut is inextricably linked
to the social and cultural developments of the Federal Republic.
It virtually mirrors the cultural history of Germany.
As the impetus behind or the protagonist of new developments
it also influences trends in Germany.

Through the Goethe-Institut, for example, the German author documentaries/period
dramas/filmed German novels of the 1970s and 1980s
built up a following in the USA and France
sooner than they did in Germany.
German dance theatre also owes its international acclaim
and much of its artistic impetus to the Goethe-Institut.
On a more technical side the institute was one of the first
in Germany to promote computer and media art./computers and the new media.

The close correlation between developments in Germany
and their cultural echoes in the work of the Goethe-Institut abroad
is as striking as it is plausible.
The extremely diverse circumstances at the various points
on the worldwide institute network, however,
result in very different thematic focuses and lifetimes.