Rethinking cultural diplomacy: The cultural diplomacy of New Zealand,the Canadian Federation and Quebec

Abstract

Cultural diplomacy, the deployment of a state’s culture in support of its foreign policy goals or diplomacy, has not attracted the level of scholarly attention it warrants, given its long history, the substantial investment by some practitioners, and its relevance to a number of related subjects in International Relations. As a result of this neglect there is little agreement on what the concept means; and several aspects of the practice warrant explication. Following a brief discussion of the core elements of the practice, including how it relates to other seemingly synonymous practices such as public diplomacy, international cultural relations and propaganda, I set out to discuss aspects of the recent cultural diplomacy of the Canadian Federation, Quebec and New Zealand in order to examine three underexplored aspects of the practice: cultural diplomacy’s role in presenting a national image and its connection to nation branding, the practice’s role in supporting the protection of cultural sovereignty, and its contribution to national domestic objectives.