The present paper considers the essential role of cultural diplomacy as a foreign policy vector and discusses its place among the tools of public diplomacy. The emphasis is placed on analysing the potential of cultural diplomacy in the Ukrainian foreign policy activities. In particular, the authors examine institutional aspects of promotion of the Ukrainian culture abroad; special attention is paid to the Ukrainian Institute, established in 2017 under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As for many years there was no comprehensive governmental approach to cultural diplomacy, private initiatives in the field emerged to fill the gap. Having received some support from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Ukraine’s diplomatic missions, these entities became part of the state’s cultural diplomacy mechanisms.
The aim of this article is to answer the question of how European Union uses tools and methods of cultural diplomacy, the extent to which these can help achieve international aims and what are their functions. While the importance of culture has been on the rise in the realm of foreign affairs, its role in this field remains one of the most under‑studied aspects of policy. In this text I point out what is the cultural diplomacy, and which programs are proposed by EU to interest the world, not only in the European Union but also foreign audience. M.C. Cummings defines cultural diplomacy as the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding. European Union uses culture to support their soft power potential, to generate goodwill, to frame international agenda in particular ways, to erect and re‑enact boundaries and/or to create societal linkages across them. According to J. Nye: cultural diplomacy is the best example of soft power, i.e. the possibility of communicating, via the conduit of culture, of values and ideas. Furthermore it is the ability to achieve to what is desired rather than attractiveness or coercion. It is the result of the attractiveness of a given culture, political ideals and the substance of the policy of a given country. Thus, Europe’s cultural diplomacy is an important element of EU relations with the rest of the world and thus plays a part in shaping the EU’s reputation and the exercise of union interests.
Culture in International Relations has been a neglected issue, it has only been recently that it gained on importance in the practice and theory of politics. The article aims at defining terms and concepts associated with culture and International Politics: Cultural Diplomacy, Soft power, Public Diplomacy, Nation branding etc. Also two case studies of Cultural Diplomacy activities are presented in order to illustrate the theoretical background.
This article reveals the essence of cultural diplomacy as a foreign policy vector, and discusses its place among the tools of public diplomacy. The focus lies on the analysis of cultural diplomacy potential in Ukrainian foreign activities. In particular, the institutional aspects of promoting Ukrainian culture abroad are examined, and the role of foreign office and other stakeholders in these processes, including non-public subjects, is showed.
The cultural diplomacy of the Federal Republic of Germany underwent a period of fundamental changes during the 1960s and 1970s. This article analyzes who the initiators of these changes were – both institutional and individual. The emphasis on players is supported by a short group biography of respective politicians and public servants. The research uses the methods of political history and political biography. Its vital part is a detailed analysis of archival sources and edited documents. What is even more, this study also revises the prevailing periodization of the history of German cultural diplomacy.
The article deals with the role of cultural diplomacy in Slavic EU Member States. Its basic idea is to present the main characteristics of cultural diplomacy as a field of possible cooperation between the Slavic EU member countries. The conclusions of the research are three: firstly, the cultural diplomacy of the Slavic EU Member States is fragmented and diversified. Secondly, each country promotes its own cultural diplomacy and there is almost no cooperation between countries in the cultural field. Finally, cultural diplomacy is still an omitted instrument of Slavic EU Member States and a fertile ground for future collaboration within the EU and in the region of Central Europe.
The article shows a new dimension of Polish relations with the Middle Eastern countries as well as new ways of providing a cultural diplomacy. Subsequent parts are: Middle East in Polish foreign policy, the concept of cultural diplomacy, cultural diplomacy in Polish foreign policy, Polish cultural diplomacy in the Middle East. Article shows the different activities of cultural diplomacy starting from its traditional tools to the latest ideas. It shows the change in the perception of cultural diplomacy, as well as their main actors and channels to reach the audience. In addition, underlined is a breakthrough in relations between the Poland and region of the Middle East – a change in the perception and the ability to build a strategy of a foreign policy based on the transferring the experience of system transformation. Thesis about new dimension of polish cultural diplomacy in the Middle East shows following results: now Poland has something to offer to the Middle East that is the experience in transformation of political system; also with the accession to the European Union, it’s structures, programs, politics Poland gained more channels to promote it’s culture; cultural diplomacy reaches more wide groups of society, more actors are taking part in cultural diplomacy which causes that not only governmental institutions are responsible for intercultural dialog.
The aim of the article is to investigate the selected ways by which Sweden shapes its international attractiveness using culture. The research is empirical and is directed at verification of hypotheses stating that culture should be regarded as an important factor of shaping Sweden’s brand and that the chain of IKEA stores is an extraordinary channel of enhancing Sweden’s national brand with the use of culture. The others that are worth mentioning are the Swedish Institute and the website sweden.se.
The aim of the article is to answer the following questions: what is cultural diplomacy? What tools and instruments does it use? And eventually, whether the EU adopts a cultural diplomacy strategy and what role the issues of cross-cultural communication serve in it? Milton C. Cummings defines cultural diplomacy as “the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding”. We assume that the cultural diplomacy of the European Union is an important element of shaping the relations between the EU and the rest of the world, so it serves a role in creating the EU image and in fulfilling its political interests. Our research hypothesis is: cultural diplomacy is an instrument for reconstruction of the European Community and may play a part in creating a bridge connecting the EU with the world. The research methods used in this article consisted primarily in collection and observation of facts, which was based on the analysis of sources: official EU documents: declarations, communications, reports, or parliamentary debates. Other useful sources were expert opinions, reports of institutions and of companies which carried out communication activities on behalf of the European Commission and the Committee of Regions.
The intention of the author of this paper is to present a scientific analysis of the influence of culture and the cultural diplomacy of the European Union on the animation and stimulation of Europe’s integration process, which is in a constant state of perturbation and lack of stability. It examines the problem-related approach to the European Union’s change and development strategy, including the „Europe 2020” strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, which envisages the implementation of many new communal initiatives and practical solutions introduced by the European Union, including ones that concern both the cultural sector and the creative and audiovisual sector. The European Union, from 2020 onwards, intends to be ready to reach a high level of employment and efficiency, and a higher level of social integration. To enable this, the European Union must ensure attractive framework conditions for innovation and creativity. In that respect, the cultural sector and the creative and audiovisual sector are the source of groundbreaking ideas which may develop into products and services that could contribute to economic growth and job creation, thereby fighting the crisis and social problems. The economic and social crisis in Europe has also been influencing the world of culture. A series of problematic issues associated with the fragmentation of culture and its inventions are identified, including globalisation and digitalisation, underinvestment, inadequate protection of intellectual property and copyright, and insufficient international cultural cooperation.
The aim of the article is to show France as a strong and respected country in the international arena, which owes this position to its values, heritage and creativity. The legacy of the past is one of the most important assets in building the country’s policy, and cultural policy is one of the pillars that make it attractive. With regard to France’s foreign policy towards Russia, the author used the concept of soft power as a tool for gaining in´ uence thanks to the attractiveness of its own culture. There is also an extremely important place marked by the entire concept of the French lifestyle in Russian culture.
Odesa oblast – is the region that absorbed the European spirit, created multi-ethnic and multicultural world. European traditions have deep historical roots and can influence the activity and consciousness of modern generations. During the years of Ukraine's independence the decentralization of international cultural cooperation, the emergence of a significant number of civic organizations gave an opportunity to reach a qualitatively new level of international relations. The Odesa oblast is a member of five European organizations and the Lower Danube Euroregion; takes part in dozens of European programs and UN Development Program. Three districts in Odesa oblast, one district of Odesa, 16 cities and towns have the friendship or cooperation agreements with 48 cities in 15 countries, and Odesa has 23 sister cities, 1 compact of intent and 16 partners from 30 countries. Of course, not all relationships are equally active. They are characterized by their rhythms, activity peaks and recessions. Public, private organizations and individuals are increasingly becoming carriers of ideas of cultural diplomacy, developing cultural, educational, environmental and tourism directions of cooperation with international organizations, twin cities. Combining the efforts of all participants in international cooperation allows solving the main goals of cultural diplomacy: raising awareness of Ukraine; forming a positive image of our country and its values, attracting foreign investments and political partners to solve urgent problems. At the same time, we are faced with the problems of the novelty of this area of activity, namely, the absence of a strategy in practical terms, both by the state and local self-government bodies. The practice of interregional and municipal partnership requires further research.
The considerations in this article are an attempt to grasp and deeply analyze the relationship between wine and politics in the contemporary world. The importance of wine on the international stage is a multi-threaded topic, but the work focuses primarily on the special role of wine in the cross-country dimension. The author uses the method of case study analysis to present the activities of Russia’s economic diplomacy and France’s cultural diplomacy. Their example allows us to understand the role of wine in the implementation of individual foreign policy goals, including strengthening the power and prestige of the state in the international arena.
Celem artykułu jest zarysowanie najbardziej istotnych problemów i niespójności, względnie potencjałów i wyzwań polskiej dyplomacji kulturalnej. Jest ona jednym z kluczowych narzędzi polityki państwa, czymś więcej niż tylko promocją polskiej kultury. To w kulturze odnajdujemy najlepszy nośnik szeroko akceptowanych, integrujących wartości ludzkich, środki służące do zrozumienia innych. Kultura skupia aspekty życia, którym przypisujemy szczególną wartość i trwałość, których znaczenia poszukujemy. Kultura symboliczna stwarza narracje pozwalające eksponować silne strony naszego państwa i społeczeństwa, uniwersalność, ale i odmienność postaw, hierarchii wartości. Przestrzeń problemów kultury jest zatem poligonem polityk tożsamości i ich kształtowania, stanowi oczywiste krytyczne forum negocjacji i komunikowania wartości. Przedstawiane w artykule krytyczne wnioski i racjonalizacje dotyczące praktyk sektora publicznego w zakresie polskiej dyplomacji kulturalnej oparte są na jednym z pierwszych badań jakościowych w tej dziedzinie przeprowadzonych wśród ekspertów i praktyków, artystów i menadżerów kultury. Zachęca ono do kolejnych działań zmierzających do stworzenia i stałego korzystania z systemowych rozwiązań przy ocenianiu działalności instytucji publicznych odpowiedzialnych za kształtowanie wizerunku Polski poza jej granicami. Określenie deficytów i potencjału tej złożonej dziedziny, jaką jest promocja kultury polskiej i marki polskiej za granicą, są pierwszym krokiem na tej drodze.
EN
The article describes problems and inconsistencies as well as possibilities and challenges of Polish cultural diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy is much more than just a promotion of culture; it is one of the key state policy tools. Culture constitutes the best medium of broader, integrative human values and a means of understanding others. It encompasses the most valuable, lasting and meaningful aspects of our lives. The symbolic culture formulates narrations which allow us to present the best characteristics of our nations and societies, universal behaviours or different attitudes, varied hierarchies of values. Culture is a laboratory of identity policies and their construction, a critical forum for negotiations and communication of values. Critical remarks and rationalizations presented in the paper concern operations in the domain of cultural diplomacy in the Polish public sector. The article is based on one of the first qualitative studies in the field, prepared by experts, practitioners, artists and cultural managers. The authors encourage to undertake new activities in order to supply and apply systemic and transparent solutions for evaluation of public institutions which promote Polish culture abroad. Defining deficits and potentials of a complex domain that is the promotion of Polish culture and the Polish brand is only the first step.
Kultura zawsze była obecna w stosunkach międzynarodowych. W okresie podbojów kolonialnych na terenie Ameryki Łacińskiej kultura była wykorzystywana przez mocarstwa europejskie z jednej strony jako instrument skutecznego podporządkowania kolonizowanych ludów, a z drugiej jako nośnik postępu cywilizacyjnego. We współczesnym, zglobalizowanym świecie stosunki międzynarodowe są w coraz większym stopniu kształtowane przy użyciu soft power i tym samym kultura odgrywa coraz większą rolę w wymiarze społecznym, politycznym i ekonomicznym. Unia Europejska stara się wzmacniać swoją pozycję w Ameryce Łacińskiej poprzez rozwijanie takich narzędzi jak dyplomacja kulturalna. Jej zadaniem jest propagowanie wartości podzielanych przez państwa członkowskie UE i uznawanych za fundament tożsamości kulturowej Europy. Pomimo że decydenci w instytucjach UE zdają sobie sprawę z doniosłej roli kultury, obecnie jej potencjał nie jest w pełni wykorzystywany
EN
Culture has always been present in international relations. During the colonial era in Latin America, culture was used by European powers, on the one hand, as an instrument of subjugation of colonised peoples, and, on the other hand, as a carrier of civilizational progress. In the contemporary globalized world, international relations are ever more determined by the use of soft power, therefore culture plays an increasingly significant role in the social, political and economic dimension. The European Union endeavours to strengthen its position in Latin America by developing tools such as cultural diplomacy. Its purpose is to promote values shared by the EU member states and recognized as the basis of the European cultural identity. Although the decision-makers in the EU institutions are aware of the importance of culture, at present they do not use the potential of culture to its full extent.
Во втором десятилетии XXI века количество польских театральных постановок в Китае увеличилось по сравнению с предыдущими годами. Польские спектакли и представления вызвали большой интерес к польскому искусству среди китайских театроведов и в театральных кругах, создав отличную репутацию польской культуры во влиятельных художественных кругах. Динамичное и эффективное продвижение польской культуры в Китае зависит от экономических и политических отношений обеих стран. С польской стороны Министерство культуры и национального наследия, Институт Адама Мицкевича (IAM), Польский институт в Китае (часть Посольства Республики Польша в Пекине) и различные польские театральные труппы успешно проявляют инициативу по представлению лучших образцов польского театрального искусства китайскому зрителю. В последние годы польский театр выступает на крупных театральных фестивалях Китая, издаются книги о польском театре и появляются новые переводы польской драмы, что доказывает, что всего за несколько лет польский театр стал знаком китайским любителем театра.
EN
In the second decade of the 21st century the number of Polish theater pieces in China increased in comparison with previous years. Polish plays and performances raised a great interest of Polish art among Chinese theatrologists and the theatre circles, forming an excellent reputation for Polish culture in artistic and opinion-making circles. The dynamic and effective promotion of the Polish culture in China depends on the economic and political relations of both of the countries. From the Polish side, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM), the Polish Institute in China (part of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing) and various Polish theater groups effectively show the initiative to present the best of Polish theater art to Chinese audience. In the recent years Polish theater appears at major theatre festivals in China, books on Polish theater are being published and there are new translations of Polish drama, which proves that only in a few years Polish theater became familiar to Chinese theatregoers.
The article aims to present the cultural matters from Kultura Paryska (Paris-based Culture) in the context of the cultural-creative function of the media and media strategies of cultural diplomacy. Kultura Paryska was published in 1946-2000 as a periodical of the Institute of Literature in Paris, its creator and editor was Jerzy Giedroyc. Due to its program distinctiveness (the stake in contacts with the country) and high publicity effort, it was perceived as a centre of political thought pursuing the independence ideals through the concepts of good neighbourly relations between Poland and Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus and Germany in the conditions of geopolitical changes in Europe after the dissolution of the USSR and German reunification. The programme articles were written by Juliusz Mieroszewski, Jerzy Stempowski, Bohdan Osadczuk, Leopold Unger, among others. Giedroyc paid attention to the balance of political and cultural content in the issues of the magazine, and what is more important, he let authors from Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus to publish in the magazine. He was the originator of a series of chronicles, including ones concerning Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Germany, and press reviews, which were the basic source of information about the lives of emigrants and life in their abandoned homelands. Giedroyc, through Kultura, pursued a strategy of influencing public opinion by combining political and cultural matters because he was convinced that in this way he would contribute to the rejection of stereotypes and make it possible to learn about common history and culture.
PL
Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie tematyki kulturalnej z łamów „Kultury” paryskiej w kontekście kulturotwórczej funkcji mediów oraz medialnych strategii dyplomacji kulturalnej. „Kultura” paryska ukazywała się w latach 1946-2000 jako periodyk Instytutu Literackiego w Paryżu, jej twórcą i redaktorem był Jerzy Giedroyc. Ze względu na odrębność programową (stawka na kontakty z Krajem) i wysokiej próby publicystykę, była postrzegana jako ośrodek myśli politycznej realizujący niepodległościowe założenia ideowe poprzez koncepcje dobrosąsiedzkich stosunków Polski z Ukrainą, Litwą, Białorusią i Niemcami w warunkach geopolitycznych zmian w Europie po upadku ZSRR i zjednoczeniu Niemiec. Artykuły programowe pisali m.in. Juliusz Mieroszewski, Jerzy Stempowski, Bohdan Osadczuk, Leopold Unger. Giedroyc dbał o proporcje materiałów politycznych i kulturalnych w numerach czasopisma, a co ważniejsze – udostępniał łamy twórcom z obszaru ULB. Był pomysłodawcą cyklu kronik, m.in. ukraińskiej, litewskiej, białoruskiej, niemieckiej, oraz przeglądów prasy, które stanowiły podstawowe źródło informacji o życiu emigrantów i o życiu w ich opuszczonych ojczyznach. Giedroyc, za pomocą „Kultury”, realizował strategię oddziaływania na opinię publiczną przez łączenie tematyki politycznej i kulturalnej, gdyż był przekonany, że w ten sposób przyczyni się do odrzucenia stereotypów i umożliwi poznanie wspólnej historii i kultury.
The article presents current problems related to the Chinese cultural and educational activity in West Africa, developed since 2008 through Confucius Institutes. First part focuses on theoretical framework of concepts soft power and cultural diplomacy as tools of the Chinese foreign policy in West African states. Then, background and aims of establishment of Confucius Institutes were explained in a global, and regional, sub-Saharan context. Second part describes three main types of reactions of Africans for Confucius Institutes in West Africa. Apart from the general tendencies, described in the literature, author refers to first-hand statements of Nigerian students and lecturers from the local branches of the Confucius Institute. In the final remarks, common features of Confucianism and African values with contribute to „sino-optimistic” attitude where highlighted. They result in enthusiastic reception of the educational/propaganda offer of the Confucius Institutes in Africa.
Dyplomacja kulturowa zawsze była ważnym narzędziem w polityce zagranicznej Włoch. Kultura była ważną wartością już w okresie liberalnym, a także w znacznym zakresie używana przez włoskich faszystów. W okresie międzywojennym promocja kultury poza granicami kraju miała na celu szerzenie pewnego organizacyjnego modelu ustroju społeczno-politycznego. Po drugiej wojnie światowej zasoby kulturowe odgrywały fundamentalną rolę we włoskich stosunkach międzynarodowych. Rząd demokratyczny dokonał zmiany metod działań od zasadniczo propagandowych, stosowanych przez faszystów głównie w drugiej połowie lat 30. XX wieku, do dyplomacji kulturowej, bardziej wyczulonej na kwestie dialogu i współpracy. Soft power polityki kulturowej zaczęło nabierać coraz większego znaczenia. Ze względu na brak efektywnych narzędzi dyplomatycznych o charakterze politycznym i ekonomicznym, klasa rządząca skupiła się na promowaniu tradycji kulturowych swojego narodu. Demokratyczne Włochy wciąż wykorzystywały środki i personel zapewniony przez faszystów, jednak przyjęto innowacyjny program dyplomacji kulturowej z uwzględnieniem nowych przesłanek i celów. Taka polityka była umiarkowana i z pewnością pozbawiona motywów kulturowych, jednak w rzeczywistości i dłuższej perspektywie nastawiona była na pozyskiwanie kontaktów z nowymi krajami, zaprzyjaźnienie się z nimi i zyskanie sympatii ich elit, a w ostateczności na nawiązywanie z nimi relacji ekonomicznych i politycznych. W ramach struktury szeroko zakrojonych działań nastawionych na wspieranie multilateralnej dyplomacji, nowi liderzy post-faszystowskich Włoch promowali międzynarodową współpracę kulturową, która odeszła od torów polityki siły wyznaczonych przez poprzedni reżim, oraz uznanie integralności kulturowej Włoch. Mimo to pozostawali czujni, by chronić interesy narodowe. Wymiar zamierzonej przez nich współpracy był realizowany przede wszystkim poprzez uczestnictwo Włoch w UNESCO.
EN
Cultural diplomacy has always been an important tool in Italian foreign policy. Culture represented a significant resource already in the liberal period and was also widely used by Fascism. During the inter-war period, cultural promotion abroad aimed at spreading the regime’s political-social organizational model. In the second post-war period, cultural resources played a fundamental role in Italian international relations. The democratic government carried out a transition from an essentially propagandistic action, which Fascism implemented especially in the second half of 1930’s, to a cultural diplomacy more attentive to the issues of dialogue and cooperation. The soft power of culture grew in importance. Lacking effective diplomatic tools of a political and economic nature, the new ruling class promoted the nation’s cultural tradition. Although with means and personnel widely used already during the Fascist period, democratic Italy adopted an innovative cultural diplomacy with regard to premises and goals. This policy was apparently low-key and devoid of political themes, but in reality it was aimed at acquiring, in the long run, the friendship and the sympathy of the elites of other countries, so as to bolster political and economic relations. In the framework of a broader course of action, aimed at supporting multilateral diplomacy, the new leaders of post-Fascist Italy also promoted an international cultural cooperation which reversed the previous power politics and the unilateral assertion of Italian culture, but was still careful to defend the nation’s interests. This cooperative dimension was realized above all with the participation in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
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