This article is conceived as a basic introduction to the interrelationship between cultural encounters and media culture. The essay is divided into three parts. In a first part, a seemingly simple question will be addressed: What is “culture”? On the one hand, various attempts to define the concept of culture will be outlined, and on the other hand, a schematic representation will be designed with which an own, four-dimensional concept of culture is to be presented. In a second part, the connection between cultural encounters and media culture is discussed by means of a brief recapitulation of some central theories in the broader context, in order to at least hint at the manifold connections and transitions between questions of cultural and media culture theory. In a third part, the focus will eventually be shifted from theory to the practice of representation and interpretation: On the basis of three selected film analyses, the paper will explore exemplary configurations and concentrations of the very constellations that have been described, from a basic theoretical perspective, in the previous parts. By examining the film material, the theoretical findings will not only be illustrated, but also deepened and expanded in terms of a concrete analysis. The concentration on film at the same time allows studying the topic on the level of audiovisual media culture.

Keywords: cultural encounters, media culture, film analysis