The contributions to this book have two methodologies: the first, to deconstruct and demystify cultural diplomacy, notably the ‘hype’ that accompanies it, especially when it is yoked to the notion of ‘soft power’; the second, to better understand how contemporary cultural diplomacy actually operates. In applying a cultural lens to the question, this book probes whether there can be such a thing as a cultural diplomacy ‘beyond the national interest’. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Cultural Policy.
Ien Ang is Distinguished Professor of Cultural Studies in the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University, Australia.
Yudhishthir Raj Isar
is Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University, Australia, and Professor of Cultural Policy Studies at the American University of Paris, France.Phillip Mar
is a Research Associate in the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University, Australia.