Plea for a Mobile Identity: Lecture by Hugo Loetscher

12/4/2008

Townsend Center, Geballe Room

"Plea for a Mobile Identity" lecture by Hugo Loetscher. This lecture focuses on the conception of identity from both a Swiss and an international perspective. On the basis of personal experiences, the conflict between personal, national and global identity is debated. The focus is on variation and on the multiplicity of identities instead of uniqueness. As such, identity is not seen as fixation or as an orthodox uniform, but rather as a field of tension and a possibility of interaction with others.

Hugo Loetscher was born in Zurich in 1929. He worked as editor-in-chief of the political magazine Weltwoche and as literary editor of the journal du. He is known to be a talented speaker and is a regular guest on Swiss television to debate Swiss and international politics. He has been a freelance writer since 1969, writing novels, plays, travelogues and essays. Loetscher‚s works often base on his travelling experiences; he is considered to be the most cosmopolitan Swiss writer. Loetscher was President of the Swiss Writers‚ Association and the Swiss Foundation for Photography. In 1992 he received the most prominent Swiss literary price for his oeuvre, the Grosser Schillerpreis.

Reception to follow in German library.