Cultural Diplomacy
Following the recent public diplomacy review, now seems like a good time to revisit what we mean by cultural diplomacy and the ways in which culture helps to deliver Britain’s foreign, developmental, and sustainability objectives. This project asks what this means for cultural institutions and whether they could play a role in fostering public debate and engagement. It also set out a new and practical framework for policy makers and practitioners in the UK and beyond.
- Reactions to Cultural Interventions in Russia In the wake of recent events involving the British Council's offices at Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg, it's interesting to see commentators once again pointing to the importance of culture in international relations, the theme of our Cultural Diplomacy pamphlet last year. I thought it was worth posting a selection. In last week's Guardian, Simon Jenkins argued that 'culture and lifestyle are the diplomacy of the 21st Century' - very much an echo of his earlier article in response to our... continue reading on 21st January 2008 Comments (1)
- Rise of the Cultural Dragon - The PM woke him up Today sees the opening of the First Emperor exhibition at the British Museum. As the newspapers and television reports imply, it features a selection of the terracotta warriors buried alongside China's first Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi in the famous complex at Xi'an. It's also the largest number to have made the trip overseas - there are about 20 at the BM, 15 or so made a trip to Rome's Scuderie del Quirinale last year. Even though they might soon have their own diplomatic bags... continue reading on 13th September 2007 Comments (2)
- Grills on Film and Cultural Dialogue In the latest Pixar film, Ratatouille, a rat called Remy discovers in the process of his everyday scavenging that he has culinary gifts. The film tells the story of his bid to succeed as a chef, a rodent in a decidely anti-rodent world.According to the Washington Post, Remy also has a different story to tell. In an article the other day, Remy is taken to represent a defence against perceptions in the US of French distaste for their cuisine which feeds off a wider rejection of... continue reading on 15th August 2007
- Many to the Many One of the themes of Cultural Diplomacy is the shift of focus in how nations and groups relate to each other. First, governments spoke behind closed doors - the few to the few. Then they came to realise the importance of speaking to wider publics - the few to the many. Now, it is imperative that we understand and accommodate the reality that global relations are dominated and by the communication of the many to the many.In this light, it is nice to see that discussion of... continue reading on 10th August 2007
- Cultural Diplomacy and the Venice Biennale An article on Newsnight the other day discussed the role of art as providing a space for conversation between cultures. You can see it here.Specifically, it talks about the Venice Biennale. This year, the director, Robert Storr has set out both to include countries who have never exhibited before and to provide a showcase for Islamic art. continue reading on 15th June 2007
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300 and the Real World
In Cultural Diplomacy, we talk about the defining characteristics of a new era in which 'the ability of individuals to reap the benefits of globalisation and connect with other people on a truly global level'.
A similar situation is developing around the new film, 300. continue reading on 16th March 2007 - Cultural Diplomacy on the agenda Cultural Diplomacy was debated in the House of Lords yesterday, there's a full transcript of the debate, here. It's great to see the work being dicussed in this context and it follows Tony Blair's comments yesterday that 'culture in a globalised world is an important form of diplomacy'. continue reading on 7th March 2007
- We're all diplomats now... Today, we launched Cultural Diplomacy at the V&A in South Kensington. It argues for the importance of culture in the way that we relate to each other in the world today. As well as providing a medium through which we can relate to one another, culture is emerging a space in which those relations can be conducted. continue reading on 28th February 2007
- Stop the Press! While we've been in China, a lot of people have made veiled references to the censorship of the press. Mostly, they either assume you know how the system works, or prefer not to get drawn on the subject. Once or twice, interviewees have clearly been worried that we are western press, so we've had to reassure them of our (lack of) credentials. Tonight, however, Sam and I finally got to sit down and have dinner with a journalist (who will remain nameless) who was very generous with her time and... continue reading on 15th October 2006
- Life thru a lens Shan Song is an underground film maker in Beijing. By day he writes scripts for government-produced TV dramas, by night he makes films through a collective he set up after film school called 22Film. Sam and I met him yesterday to talk about the ways in which independent film making is bringing about social change in China.The advent of digital cameras and the internet has enabled a generation of young people to make films about themselves, how they live and where they want China to go. They go... continue reading on 13th October 2006
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