Sum up of Week 1

The objective of this week was to give an overview of the concepts to address cultural diplomacy and the questions they raise with regards to the theory and practice of cultural diplomacy

We first looked at the top-down notion of public diplomacy, according to which culture, along with the media, is perceived as one of the tools to promote national interests and project a positive image of a country. But we have seen that cultural diplomacy does not only take place in embassies: it involves different types of international and local organisations. We in fact analysed the more bottom-up conception of public diplomacy for which non-state actors – civil society, museums, religious organisations, and NGOs – have the resources to conduct relations across borders without the mediation of the State.

This leads us to two questions. What role is there in cultural diplomacy today for the State? And what does the rise of non-state actors mean for cultural diplomacy? To address these questions, next week, we will look more at the different stakeholders involved and how they interact.

We hope you enjoyed this first week! Don’t hesitate to give us your feedbacks in the comments!