The Future of Cultural Diplomacy

Art—whatever the medium—has the potential for immense political power. It can bring people together or highlight the challenges that a society faces. However, for art to reach its potential, we must not only look at the role of the art itself. We must also ensure that artists are centered within the conversation. Ensuring spaces in which artists can openly create without fear their art may be misused can help the power of art to flourish and for cultural relations to expand.

Furthermore, artists can do things traditional diplomats cannot. Traditionally, diplomats must carefully articulate points to avoid harming their government’s interests. Cultural diplomacy allows for discussing difficult topics while bypassing bureaucratic, political hurdles faced by other forms of diplomacy.  However, this can only be done when art and artists are adequately valued, which is only possible by centering the role of the artist in the process.

Countries should embrace their own diversity in their cultural diplomacy to highlight the similarities that they share with countries across the globe as well as the values of pluralism. For large countries this could mean highlighting the diversity of their domestic populations. For smaller countries, this could often be done by highlighting their diaspora communities situated elsewhere. By recognizing the diversity of one’s own population and actively highlighting this within their cultural diplomacy, countries move from trying to present a homogenous “national culture” toward one that is more inclusive and representative of the array of lived experiences of their country. This creates more critical art that can speak to the reality of lived experience and bring people together in more meaningful ways.

While we often focus on the international aspect of cultural relations in framing discussions around the power of cultural diplomacy, cultural relations at the domestic level are important as well. Although it is important for countries to recognize the diversity of their populations in their own cultural diplomacy, many countries continue to ignore and marginalize portions of their own societies. These can include ethno-racial minorities, indigenous peoples, or immigrant populations.

In pushing to ensure that the voices of these groups are heard and recognized within the national political and cultural scene, cultural actors—whether chefs, musicians, or artists—and cultural institutions can play a critical role in amplifying these voices and their stories. Such amplification is critical not only for representing the shared humanity of societies and the role that all play in the “national culture,” but for reducing polarization evident in countries across the globe.

For some, state-led cultural diplomacy is primarily about propaganda. As societies become increasingly interconnected and realize that the most pressing challenges often cross borders, it is important to lean into the important role that cultural relations—as conducted by non-governmental actors—can play in bringing people together in meaningful ways. Non-governmental actors are uniquely positioned to create communities of practice that challenge contemporary modes of thinking and recognize shared humanity and experiences across the globe.

Technology has the power to both bring together communities across borders as well as expose individuals to cultures other than their own. While we have seen the polarizing potential of technology, it also has immense potential in the cultural diplomacy space to alter the conduct and reach of cultural diplomacy. By creating spaces that allow artists and creators to engage with audiences across borders, we can radically increase the ability of cultural relations to reach new audiences and a larger global impact. This has the power to pressure governments as art transcends borders through the internet and individuals call for change across the globe.

Technology also serves another important purpose. For many “digital natives,” the world of national borders is rapidly becoming an out-of-date concept. As young people engage with one another across borders, new communities of practice—both within sub-cultures like gaming as well as artistic communities—can create new worlds in which national origin matters less than their shared digital connection.

While there are many important lessons that can be drawn about cultural diplomacy and how we can improve it, the first step is to ensure that the different actors that are involved in the process of cultural diplomacy and relations are talking to one another. All have important ways of thinking about the future of cultural diplomacy and only by looking at the way forward collectively will we be able to “redefin[e] cultural diplomacy for the future we need.”