Sebastien Gobert - Embassies and ethnicity

Berlin is one of the few places in the world where international embassies are more than diplomatic representations. Indeed, many of them are not just located in pre-existing buildings rented out by foreign governments, as it is the case in most capitals of the world. Following the fall of the Wall and the reunification of the city, Berlin became the capital of unified Germany in summer 1999. Part of the extensive reconfiguration of the urban space was dedicated to building and renovating 'official' edifices to host an entire set of governmental, administrative and diplomatic services. Such a process allowed many foreign governments to build and design their own embassies out of stratch, thus turning their representations into national showcases.
My research focuses on the exhibition and promotion of national and ethnic characteristics through the architectural design of some foreign embassies in Berlin. The way these charateristics are displayed reflects some common understandings on so-called 'national' features these countries wish to promote and be associated with. The embassies of South Africa, India or else Egypt seem to be designed quite explicitely for this purpose. It might as well be interesting to investigate the political dimension of some of the diplomatic buildings, such as the Russian one (still referring explicitely to the Soviet times) or the Nordic embassies (a 'Scandinavic' building hosts the representations of Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Sweden).
I wish to replace this research in the context of the restructuration of the urban space, since many embassies are located on former segments of the dividing wall and no man's land. I also intend to use the results of my investigation in understanding the renewed strength of Berlin as one of the major European and world capital cities.

Tools/Methods:
Observation of a selection of embassies (Tiergarten, Mitte);
Internet sources on the buildings and architectural styles;
Interviews with members of the embassies' staff and specialists (if possible on weekends)