Медийните и обективните представи за Нова Зеландия в Словакия

The first part of this study looks at what New Zealand and Slovakia have in common despite their great distance from each other; both countries have around five million inhabitants and cultivate a national identity closely bound to their agricultural past. The study also points out that while the Slovak–New Zealand bilateral relationship on an economic, political, or person-to-person level is certainly not that intensive, Slovaks nonetheless have particular perceptions of New Zealand. The image of New Zealand in Slovakia is a highly positive one, primarily thanks to television, the Internet, and other mass media. In its conclusion, the study examines the image and perceptions of New Zealand in Slovakia by analysing local media sources and drawing on the author’s ten years of experience as a teacher of New Zealand studies at a Slovak university. The presented picture of New Zealand is a contribution to the discussion of the popular perception of that country in Central Europe, particularly through the lens of university students, who over the years have taken classes examining New Zealand society and its institutions as a part of their broader education in British and American studies.