Literature, Film, and Culture Industry in Contemporary Austria

Contemporary Austria habitually presents itself as the cultural nation, or Kulturnation, where the promotion of culture is both of national and economic importance. In 1999, the government stated the value of culture in Austria as follows: Our cultural heritage, contemporary culture, and art constitute major factors for both our own definition of cultural nation as well as the foreign perception of Austria. Since the 1950s, Austria has nurtured a romantic attitude toward its past glory and embraced a cultural conservatism that hindered many Austrians from developing an open mind toward - and interest in - cultural criticism, artistic experimentation, and innovation. Therefore, most state funding continues to be channeled toward Austria’s established theaters and artists rather than the writers and filmmakers, who make significant contributions to the public discourse on cultural amnesia and historical revisionism by challenging with varying intensity and on differing aesthetic platforms Austria’s misguided self-promotion, such as Kulturnation par excellence.