What is cultural diplomacy? In the political realm, diplomacy is usually used to refer to governments exchanging representatives to negotiate with one another. Cultural diplomacy is when cultures exchange representatives as advocates for their culture. Whereas an Ambassador is an official title bestowed by governments, anyone who travels to another country is, in a broad sense, an ambassador for their culture.
Cultural diplomacy has acquired a more specific meaning, referring to the international exchange of individuals, sponsored either by governments, the private sector, or both, with the goal of increasing the understanding between nations. The Fulbright program is perhaps the most famous example. When cultural diplomacy involves the arts, it can be called arts diplomacy. When the specific medium of the exchange is music, musical diplomacy is the relevant term. The New York Philharmonic's February 2008 trip to North Korea is the most famous recent example of this. The Center for Arts and Culture has an excellent issues page about cultural diplomacy. Some of the important books, essays, and documents about cultural diplomacy include:
Arndt, Richard T. The First Resort of Kings. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 2005. Read William Harvey's review here.
Brown, John. Arts Diplomacy: The Neglected Aspect of Cultural Diplomacy. America's Dialogue with the World. William P. Kiehl, ed. Washington: Public Diplomacy Council, 2006.
Cultural Diplomacy: The Linchpin of Public Diplomacy. Report of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy to the U.S. Department of State. September 2005.
Cultural Diplomacy: Recommendations and Research. Center for Arts and Culture. July 2004
Ferguson, John. The Art of (Hip-Hop) Diplomacy. Christian Science Monitor.
Finn, Helena. The Case for Cultural Diplomacy: Engaging Foreign Audiences. Foreign Affairs.
Hughes, John. Cultural Diplomacy is Key to Winning Hearts and Minds. Christian Science Monitor.
Kaiser, Michael. How Helpful is Cultural Diplomacy? Huffington Post, 21 September 2009.
Movies and a Novel
Hollywood rarely makes a fictional movie about cultural diplomacy; when Albert Brooks did so, the result was disastrous. Paul Smaczny's magnificent documentary, Knowledge is the Beginning chronicles the heroic efforts of Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said to found a youth orchestra comprised of Israeli and Arab musicians. Here is William Harvey's review of the film. Daniel Mason's novel The Piano Tuner because of the strong case it makes for cultural diplomacy. Here is William Harvey's review.
