Cultural Diplomacy: From Praxis to a Possible Concept

Abstract

What is Cultural Diplomacy? This question has been the motivation for my studies in the area of International Relations and its interface with research in the field of Culture. To speak of Cultural Diplomacy is to think about the symbolic-cultural elements that national states use as foreign policy instruments. This paper presents, therefore, a discussion about the connections between Culture, Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, and International Cultural Relations with a view to identifying what Cultural Diplomacy is and, thus, elaborating a concept that can explain what this field is. It is based on the premise that Cultural Diplomacy is an umbrella for other diplomacies: artistic, patrimonial, educational, sports, tourist, scientific, and innovation. In the case of the text on screen, it is structured in discussions in two complementary parts toward the success of the objectives proposed by this study. First, we sought to discuss the interface between Culture and International Relations to understand what Cultural Diplomacy is in the second part of the argumentation. In both, there are specific discussions that help in understanding the object of analysis referred to here. At the end, at the conclusion of the article, we present the concept of Cultural Diplomacy identified and described by the researcher who writes to you. Thus, from reflections about the intersection between Culture, Diplomacy, and Foreign Policy and understanding of what is meant by International Cultural Relations, it is concluded that Cultural Diplomacy is a part of the international action of the countries. This cultural dimension began to be part of foreign policy from the nineteenth century onwards and was strengthened in the twentieth century. Moreover, the observance of models consonant to cultural diplomacy worked by some countries allows us to understand that there is a demand, in contemporary times, for strengthening this area by national states.

Ph.D. student in Culture and Society at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) with research for the production of doctoral thesis on cultural diplomacy in the contemporary world. Researcher at the Center for International Negotiations (CAENI), of the University of São Paulo (USP) (https://caeni.com.br/), and in the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies in Culture (CULT) of UFBA (http://www.cult.ufba.br/wordpress/).