Abstract
The future of EU international cultural relations will depend on several factors. The rise of populist and nationalist forces takes place both within and outside Europe. The global nature of the challenges humanity faces in terms of trust, tolerance and education affects in different ways all countries and transversally impacts our capacity to achieve sustainable development. Hard power seems to be gaining prominence over soft power and persuasion. Uses of soft power (and propaganda) persist in the framework of identity politics. In whatever direction these factors evolve, this chapter argues that investing in stronger EU cooperation in international cultural relations, rather than cultural diplomacy, remains the best solution for EU leadership. An EU strategic approach to international cultural relations rooted in development policy and intercultural dialogue bears the promise to facilitate cooperation among EU institutions, member states and their cultural institutes, as well as broader cultural networks based on innovative models. However, a series of criticalities could potentially affect this emerging policy, which calls for some recommendations on the process and content of the approach under development.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ada, S. (2018). Foreword. In S. Ada, et al. (Eds.), Rise of Populism and the Crisis of Political Pragmatism. Cultural Policy and Management Research Centre.
Ang, I., Isar, Y. R., & Mar, P. (2015). Cultural Diplomacy: Beyond the National Interest? International Journal of Cultural Policy, 21(4), 365–381.
Anholt, S. (2007). Competitive Identity: The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities, and Regions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Anholt, S., & Hildreth, J. (2004). Brand America: The Mother of All Brands. London: Cyan Books.
Batora, J., & Hocking, B. (2008). Bilateral Diplomacy in the EU: Towards Postmodern Patterns? Clingendael Discussion Papers in Diplomacy.
British Council and Goethe-Institut. (2018). Cultural Value: Cultural Relations in Societies in Transition: A Literature Review. https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/lit_review_short_working_paper_final_final.pdf.
Castells, M. (2008). The New Public Sphere: Global Civil Society, Communication Networks, and Global Governance. Annals AAPSS, 616(1), 78–93.
Comor, E., & Bean, H. (2012). America’s ‘Engagement’ Delusion: Critiquing a Public Diplomacy Consensus. International Communication Gazette, 74(3), 203–220.
Council of the EU. (2008, November 20). Council Conclusions on the Promotion of Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue in the External Relations of the Union and Its Member States. Brussels.
Council of the EU. (2015, November 26). Work Plan for Culture 2015–2018. Brussels.
Council of the EU. (2018, November 15). Work Plan for Culture 2019–2022. Brussels.
Deloumeaux, L. (2018). Persisting Imbalances in the Flow of Cultural Goods and Services. In UNESCO, Reshaping Cultural Policies: Advancing Creativity for Development. Paris: UNESCO.
de Perini, P. (2018). Intercultural Dialogue in EU Foreign Policy. Abingdon: Routledge.
Dutta-Bergman, M. J. (2006). U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Middle East: A Critical Cultural Approach. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 30(2), 102–124.
EC. (2016, June 8). Towards an EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations. Brussels.
EC. (2018, May 22). A New European Agenda for Culture. Brussels.
EC, EEAS, & EUNIC. (2017). Administrative Arrangement for Activities to Be Developed by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Partnership with the European Commission Services and the European External Action Service. Brussels.
EC JRC. (2010). SWOT Analysis. For Learn Project. http://forlearn.jrc.ec.europa.eu/guide/4_methodology/meth_swot-analysis.htm.
EEAS. (2015). Strategic Communication Survey for EU Delegations. Brussels, Accessed Through a Request for Access to Documents on 13 November 2017.
EP. (2011, May 12). European Parliament Resolution on the Cultural Dimensions of the EU’s External Actions. Brussels.
EU. (2014). Preparatory Action ‘Culture in EU External Relations. Engaging the World: Towards Global Cultural Citizenship’. http://cultureinexternalrelations.eu/.
EUNIC Global. (2018). Report on the Current State of the Partnership Between EUNIC Clusters & EU Delegations. Bruxelles,
Fitzpatrick, K. (2011). US Public Diplomacy in a Post 9/11 World: From Messaging to Mutuality. CPD Perspectives on Public Diplomacy, Paper 6.
Gienow-Hecht, J., & Donfried, M. C. (Eds.). (2010). The Model of Cultural Diplomacy: Power, Distance, and the Promise of Civil Society. In Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy. New York: Berghahn Books.
Gilboa, E. (2001). Diplomacy in the Media Age: Three Models of Uses and Effects. Diplomacy & Statecraft, 12(2), 1–28.
Helly, D., & Galeazzi, G. (2016). Culture in EU Development Policies and External Action: Reframing the Discussion. ECDPM Briefing Note 92.
Helly, D., & Galeazzi, G. (2017). Mapping of EU Funding for Culture in the ENP. European Commission, Brussels. http://ecdpm.org/publications/mapping-eu-funding-culture-enp/.
Higgott, R. (2017). Enhancing the EU’s ICR: The Prospects and Limits of Cultural Diplomacy. EL-CSID Policy Paper 2017/3.
Higgott, R., & Proud, V. (2017). Populist Nationalism and Foreign Policy: Cultural Diplomacy and Resilience. ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy.
Higgott, R., & Van Langenhove, L. (2016). Towards an EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations: An Initial, Critical but Constructive Analysis. EL-CSID Policy Brief 2016/1.
Karvonen, M., Kallman, R., de Niet, M., & Stepan, P. (2017). Promoting Access to Culture via Digital Means: Policies and Strategies for Audience Development. Report, European Union, Brussels.
Kaya, A. (2018). Mainstreaming of Right-Wing Populism in Europe. In S. Ada et al. (Eds.), Rise of Populism and the Crisis of Political Pragmatism. Cultural Policy and Management Research Centre.
Kennedy, L., & Lucas, S. (2005). Enduring Freedom: Public Diplomacy and U.S. Foreign Policy. American Quarterly, 57(2), 309–333.
La Porte, T., & Pavón-Guinea, A. (2017). Considering Cities’ Role in a European Union Multi-level Governance Context: An Assessment of Officials’ Attitudes. European Politics and Society, 19(1), 49–62.
MacDonald, S. (2017). The Impact of Brexit on International Cultural Relations in the European Union. ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy.
Mark, S. (2009). A Greater Role for Cultural Diplomacy. Clingendael Discussion Paper in Diplomacy.
Memis, S. (2009). The Impact of International Cultural Engagement: The British Council’s Approach to Evaluation. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 39(4), 292–297.
Mogherini, F. (2016). Speech Published on the Website of the Cultural Diplomacy Platform. https://www.cultureinexternalrelations.eu/about-us-2/.
Molema, S. (2015, November 27–28). Cultural Diplomacy in the Digital Age: How Social Media Enhances Cultural Exchange Between European Nations. Paper presented at the conference ‘The European Union and the Politicization of Europe’, Prague.
Pamment, J. (2012). New Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century: A Comparative Study of Policy and Practice. New York: Routledge.
Public Policy and Management Institute, National Centre for Research on Europe, & NFG Research Group. (2015). Analysis of the Perception of the EU and of EU’s Policies Abroad. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/fpi/showcases/eu_perceptions_study_en.htm.
Rivera, T. (2015). Distinguishing Cultural Relations from Cultural Diplomacy. CPD Perspectives.
Rose, M. (2017). A New Cultural Diplomacy. IFA Input 3/2017.
Rose, M., & Wadham-Smith, N. (2004). Mutuality, Trust and Cultural Relations. Counterpoint Report.
Rydgren, J. (2007). The Sociology of the Radical Right. Annual Review of Sociology, 33, 241–262.
Stone, D., & Douglas, E. (2018). Advance Diaspora Diplomacy in a Networked World. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 24(6), 710–723.
Tatenhove, J., Mak, J., & Liefferink, D. (2006). The Inter-Play Between Formal and Informal Practices. Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 7(1), 8–24.
Trobbiani, R., & Schunz, S. (2018). The European Union’s Multi-level Cultural Diplomacy vis-à-vis the United States of America. UNU-CRIS WPS 2018/7.
Valenza, D., & Boers, E. (2018). Assessing the Effectiveness of the EU’s and Russia’s Cultural Diplomacy Towards Central Asia. EL-CSID Working Paper 2018/9.
Zaharna, R. S. (2007). The Soft Power Differential: Network Communication and Mass Communication. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 2, 213–228.
Zamorano, M. M. (2016). Reframing Cultural Diplomacy: The Instrumentalization of Culture Under the Soft Power Theory. Culture Unbound, 8, 166–186.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Andrew Murray, former Director of EUNIC Global, for having provided them with countless insights on the latest policy developments. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this publication lies entirely with the authors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Trobbiani, R., Pavón-Guinea, A. (2020). Navigating Uncertainty: The Future of EU International Cultural Relations. In: Carta, C., Higgott, R. (eds) Cultural Diplomacy in Europe. The European Union in International Affairs. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21544-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21544-6_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21543-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21544-6
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)