Research Master MHIR Placement Report The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin

(1)

Research Master MHIR Placement Report The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin

Supervisor: Dr. Clemens Six Hannah Sarfat

S3048942

(2)

I. Introduction

As part of my Modern History and International Relations specialization phase, I pursued a three- month long internship at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) is a non-profit, international organisation which works to strengthen intercultural dialogue and promote cultural diplomacy as a scholarly field through research projects and various cultural exchange programs. The aim of this internship, in accordance with the objectives of the specialization phase; was to experience working in a non-academic research environment, to further develop my research profile and interests and to demonstrate the ability to plan and conduct research independently. This report is an account of my internship experience at the ICD, in which the tasks I undertook will be described and evaluated in relation to the objectives of the MHIR specialization phases. Furthermore, this report will present my critical engagement with and an analysis of cultural diplomacy, as a concept, practice and a scholarly field. I will examine its theoretical underpinnings and attempt to situate it within Diplomacy scholarship in Modern History.

The report will begin by presenting the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, its origins, mission, composition and main activities. I will particularly focus on the Organisation for Youth and Education Development (OYED), which oversees developing and implementing the ICD’s internship programme.

The second part will describe and evaluate the tasks that I undertook and the activities I participated in, during my time at the Institute, in relation to learning outcomes specified by the MHIR specialization. I will use this section to assess my original motivations and expectations in relation to the work I did, some of which I will present in this report. I will also discuss the challenges I encountered and lastly, how my experience at the Institute has shaped my specialization phase and post-graduation plans. The third part will then go on to critically examine the field of cultural diplomacy. This section will deal with the Institute’s conceptualization and implementation of cultural diplomacy as a practice. The aim of this section is to present the discipline, its theories and bottlenecks as well as its current state-of-the-art. Attention will also be given to the Institute’s conceptualization and implementation of cultural diplomacy as a practice and particularly the ICD’s specific role within it. The report will conclude with a general reflection on the overall assessment of the internship.

(3)

II. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

Role and Mission

Founded by Mark C. Donfried in 1999¹, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) is an international, non- profit, non-governmental organisation with headquarters in Berlin since 2003 and in the USA.² ³ The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy’s main aim is to promote global peace and stability by strengthening and supporting intercultural relations at all levels.⁴ In an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, "successful intercultural relations pose a major challenge for international relations in the twenty- first century."⁵ According to the ICD philosophy, strengthening intercultural and intracultural relations is conducive to increased mutual trust, understanding and cooperation between cultures and ultimately, reduces the likelihood of conflicts.⁶

The ICD has developed a wide array of programs and projects in the field of cultural diplomacy to promote and sustain inter-cultural dialogue at all levels.⁷ Its main goal is to extend current research, programs and practices in the field of cultural diplomacy. The ICD encourages and supports cultural diplomacy as a fully-fledged academic discipline. Besides, the ICD also organises international conferences, seminars, cultural exchanges and youth leadership programs to facilitate interaction amongst a variety of individuals from all cultural, academic and professional backgrounds worldwide.

Leadership and Structure

Mark C. Donfried is the executive director and founder of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD).⁸ Mr.

Donfried majored in European History and French Upon at Columbia University, New York, and pursued

1 There appears to be some conflict concerning the exact date of the Institute’s founding, two different dates are noted on the Institute’s websites; 1999 and 2001. In Mr. Donfried's biography (Gienow – Hecht and Donfried, 2013), 2001 is also listed as the founding date of the ICD in New York City. I was not able to clarify this, so I have taken 2001 as the authoritative date of the ICD's establishment as listed in Mr. Donfried's biography in Gienow – Hecht and Donfried, 2013.

2 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. ‘’About the ICD’’. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_abouticd (accessed November 1^st, 2016).

3 I was unable to report on the ICD’s American branch as I did not find its webpage or other related sources.

6 Ibidem.

7 Ibidem.

8 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. ‘’The Academic Board’’. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?mark-donfried (accessed November 1st, 2016).

(4)

graduate research at the "Institut des Etudes Politiques – Sciences Po Paris" on ‘’jazz diplomacy.’’ Before founding the ICD in 2001, Mr. Donfried worked at the French Embassy to the United States, the Credit Suisse and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik.⁹ Mr. Donfried has also been a visiting professor at Humboldt University and at the ICD's Centre for Cultural Diplomacy Studies (CCDS).¹⁰ His recent research and publications focus on civil-society based cultural diplomacy. ¹¹Mr. Donfried is the ICD’s spokesperson, appearing at and chairing all the ICD’s events and annual conferences.¹²

The Secretariat and Advisory Boards

Mr. Donfried is also a member of the ICD Secretariat which oversees the development and implementation of the institute’s activities. The President of the Secretariat is Mr. Edmund Stoiber (1941), a German politician of the Christian Social Union and former Minister President of Bavaria (1993 – 2007).¹³ Mr. Edmund Stoiber also presides the ICD Advisory Board.

Each member heads a programme or ICD institution in accordance with their expertise in each field, regional and thematic foci. However, there is no indication on whether presidents are elected or appointed, nor are there any specifications as to the duration and nature of the mandates of president and vice-president or other members of the ICD.

The ICD Advisory Board supports the Secretariat and advises it on the development and implementation of its activities.¹⁴ The ICD Advisory Board is subdivided into the General Advisory Board of the ICD, the Advisory Board of the ICD Inter- Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace and the Advisory Board of the ICD Council for Cultural Diplomacy Studies. Each advisory board includes members with specific experiences and expertise to support its respective sector. Board members include eminent individuals from the fields of politics, academia, religion, the private sector and the arts. Individuals are chosen for their services and contributions to their communities and countries.

The ICD Insttutons

9 Gienow-Hetch, Jessica C. E., and Mark C. Donfried. 2013. Searching for a cultural diplomacy. New York:

Berghahn Books.

10 Ibidem 11 Ibidem

12 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. ‘’The Academic Board’’. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?mark-donfried (accessed November 1st, 2016).

13 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. “About: President Edmund Stoiber.” Culturaldiplomacy.org. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy , n.d. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?

edmund-stoiber

14 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "About: ICD Advisory Board." Culturaldiplomacy.org. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_advisoryboard-icd.

(5)

The ICD’s activities are implemented by its four main institutions: The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, the Organization for Youth Education & Development (OYED), the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights & Global Peace (IPAHP) and the ICD House of Arts & Culture.¹⁵ These institutes operate under the ICD’s general framework. In this report, the focus will be on the ‘’Organization for Youth Education and Development (OYED)’’, as it is the institution which organises and oversees the ICD internship programme.

The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy is the academic department within the ICD and works to develop and raise of awareness of the theory and practice of cultural diplomacy and related fields (such as human rights, international law, creative industries, and the performing arts) by governments and non-state actors, as well as to explore new strategies to strengthen intercultural relations.¹⁶The Academy is further subdivided into four centers which oversee and implement the different academic programs, research projects, e learning courses and certificate programs according to thematic foci: the Centre for Cultural Diplomacy Studies (CCDS), the Centre for International Law and Human Rights (CILHR), the Centre for Creative Industries and Performing Arts (CCIPA) and the Center for Culinary Excellence and Innovation (CCIE).¹⁷

The Institute has been the first to establish BA, MA and PhD programs in the field of cultural diplomacy in collaboration with the University of Siena, Italy, the University of West Scotland, Hochschule Furtwangen, Germany and the Universities of Bucharest and Babes-Bolyai, Romania.¹⁸ The aim of these programs is to allow students to research and experience cultural diplomacy in theory and practice, through participation in conferences, research projects, internships and participation in the OYED project. ¹⁹The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy has its own working definition of cultural diplomacy, as developed by its founder and director Mark C. Donfried.

"Cultural Diplomacy may best be described as a course of actions, which are based on and utilize the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation, promote national interests and beyond; Cultural diplomacy can be practiced by either the public sector, private sector or civil society."²⁰

15 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "About the ICD." Culturaldiplomacy.org. Accessed May 18, 2017.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_abouticd.

16 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "Academy for Cultural Diplomacy: About the Academy."

Culturaldiplomacy.org. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?

en_about.

17 Ibidem.

18 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "Academy for Cultural Diplomacy: About the Academy."

Culturaldiplomacy.org. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?

en_about.

19 Ibidem

20 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "What is Cultural Diplomacy?" Culturaldiplomacy.org . The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, n.d. Web. 19 May 2017.

(6)

This definition is reflected in the ICD’s mission, its various activities and its academic programs which aim to present and put into application cultural diplomacy theories and models as practiced throughout history by individuals, communities, states or institutional actors; such as cultural exchange programs, international delegations (e.g., American jazz ambassadors) or sports competitions.²¹ The ICD’s collaboration with a wide range of partners, including its partner universities, the UNESCO Bureau of Education and BMW-Berlin to name but a few²², are a reflection of its working definition of cultural diplomacy.²³ Mr. Donfried, considers cultural diplomacy as an integral part of political and economic diplomacy.²⁴ However, ‘’cultural diplomacy remains one of the many tools in the diplomatic toolkit; as soft power can only exist if buttressed by hard power.’’²⁵

The Inter Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace (IPAHP)

The Inter Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace (IPAHP) has been established to raise awareness of the universality of fundamental human rights, to promote socio-economic development in developing countries across the world and to strengthen intercultural relations between peoples and communities.²⁶ The IPAHP is headed by Mr. Jan Figel (1960) former EU Commissioner for Education, Culture and Youth (2004 – 2009). Spearheaded by an international group of parliamentarians with the support of experts from politics, academia, and civil society, the Alliance’s activities include regular international conferences and academic programs.

The Organization for Youth Education Development (OYED)

The Organization for Youth Education & Development (OYED) works in cooperation with national governments who are members of the ICD. The Organization is dedicated to the creation, promotion and execution of youth-oriented education and development programs. The main objectives of the OYED are

"to promote and empower the world’s young people through the application of cultural diplomacy

21 Ibidem.

22 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "What is Cultural Diplomacy?" Culturaldiplomacy.org . The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, n.d. Web. 19 May 2017.

23 Donfried, Mark C. "Interview with Mark C. Donfried." Interview by Christian Diemer (PhD). Europe & Me, March 14, 2011. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.europeandme.eu/projects/item/52-interview-with-mark- c-donfried.

24 Ibidem.

25 Donfried, Mark C. "Interview with Mark C. Donfried." Interview by Christian Diemer (PhD). Europe & Me, March 14, 2011. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.europeandme.eu/projects/item/52-interview-with-mark- c-donfried.

26 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "About the Inter Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace (IPAHP)." The Inter Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace (IPAHP). Accessed May 23, 2017. http://www.ipahp.org/index.php?en_about.

(7)

initiatives at the local, national and international levels."²⁷ "The OYED serves as a platform to promote and sustain inter-cultural dialogue at all levels and by doing so promotes specific educational and professional opportunities for youth.’’²⁸ Some of its key initiatives include the ‘’Young Leaders’ Fora’’

proposing various programmes and events to empower future leaders, youth initiatives to increase youth involvement in parliaments and the ‘’OYED Internship Project’’, enabling like-minded students and young professionals to come to Berlin to engage in intercultural relations.²⁹

The ICD House of Arts and Culture

The ICD’s s conferences, seminars and cultural events are held at its headquarters: The ‘’ICD House of Arts and Culture’’ in Berlin’s Schöneberg district. The ICD House of Arts and Culture is described as ‘’a multi- purpose location, designed to provide an independent forum for interaction and exchange between groups and individuals from Berlin’s diverse communities.’’³⁰ The ICD House serves as the Berlin campus of its partner universities and serves as offices for interns.

II. The OYED Voluntary Internship Project

27 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "Organisation for Youth Education and Development: About the OYED."

Oyed.org. 2015. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.oyed.org/index.php?en_about.

28 Ibidem 29 Ibidem

30 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "About the ICD House of Arts and Culture". Accessed 18 May, 2017.

www.icdhouse.org

(8)

My internship at the ICD was under the ambit of the OYED Voluntary Internship Project. This section will present and reflect on the main activities I participated in as an intern. A brief introduction to the role and mission, the leadership and structure of the project and will be followed a detailed description and analysis of my daily tasks.

Role and Mission

I completed MHIR Master Placement under the ambit of the ICD’s Organisation for Youth Education and Development’s ‘’voluntary internship project’’. The OYED Voluntary Internship Project (2008-17) is a ten-year program enabling ‘’students who need an internship as a compulsory part of their BA or graduate studies, to engage in cultural diplomacy and in doing so, to further promote cultural diplomacy and multiculturalism worldwide.’’³¹ As part of the OYED’s overarching commitment to the empowerment of young leadership, the voluntary internship project aims to provide young students and graduates with a greater access to professional opportunities.³²

Accordingly, the ICD invites applications from individuals across Europe and beyond and from a large variety of academic backgrounds including; Fine Arts, International Relations and Political Sciences, Marketing and Public Relations, Humanities, Business and Economics, Journalism and Business Administration.³³ With the majority of interns coming from across the continent, the ICD workplace truly represented the diversity of Europe’s cultures and languages. The internship is designed for currently enrolled students who need an internship as a compulsory part of their studies or as part of the ERASMUS program. Interns must possess a strong spoken and written command of English, as this is the Institute’s working language. Spanish and German are considered as an advantage and knowledge of other languages is considered an asset.

The ICD highly values ‘’flexibility, a positive attitude and the ability to work well with others’’, since the work is team-based, involves event management and communicating with diplomats and local politicians, non-governmental organisations in Berlin and sometimes further afield. The ability to work independently and with minimal supervision is also a key aspect of the internship. The capacity to work independently, within a team and to be flexible was stressed during the interview I had with the internship programme co-ordinator Ms. Oana Barbu. Questions were mainly focused on my capacity to work in a flexible manner, to be adaptable to a variety of tasks and to demonstrate this

33 Ibidem.

(9)

through my CV. Though I highlighted my primary interests being on cultural diplomacy research, in relation to my academic background, I also expressed my willingness to work on tasks such as event organisation, marketing and public relations; on which I have no prior experience. Interns are expected to work full-time from Monday – Friday (09.00 – 17.00) at the ICD headquarters in Berlin.

The internships are full time and unpaid and last a minimum of three months to a maximum of six months.³⁴

Leadership and Structure

There is no director listed as the head of the OYED or the OYED voluntary internship project of the ICD. During my internship, Mr. Riman Vilnius was the internship program manager, who oversaw overseeing the daily running of program, organised staff meetings and delegated interns’ tasks. Mr.

Vilnius is listed on the ICD’s webpage as the President of ICD International, although it remains unclear to which organ of the ICD this refers to. There is no biography of Mr. Vilnius available on the ICD’s website, nor has it been possible for me to retrieve any further information concerning how he came to be involved in the ICD. Mrs. Oana Barbu and Mrs. Radustina Netsova were the program co- coordinators. They are also not listed on the OYED or the ICD webpages.

Interns were assigned to one of the five teams each representing Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Pacific, Africa and the Middle-East and the Americas; in accordance with their linguistic abilities, academic profile and interests. Each team was expected to focus primarily on developments in cultural diplomacy in the countries of their respective continents and their relations with Germany.

Upon arrival, interns received their ICD email address: ‘’surname@culturaldiplomacy.org’’, to communicate with embassies, organisations and for event organisation. Each team was headed by team leader acting as a link between the Internship Program Manager, Mr. Vilnius and the interns.

Every morning, interns received the ‘’Team Task List’’, in which their team, team leaders and tasks were listed. Team leaders were ‘’senior trainees’’ or recent graduates who had already benefitted from a lengthy experience at the ICD. The Team leaders relay Mr. Vilnius’ tasks and decide how each team will implement them; they edit their teams’ articles and assist with general event organisation and preparing interviews with Berlin’s diplomatic community. Additionally, each team is assigned a Native-English speaker as a chief editor, who reviews the language, grammar and style of the articles to make sure they are correctly written. Editors then send the revised articles to Mr. Vilnius, who makes the final selection of articles to be published. There is minimal supervision and team meeting are called when deemed necessary by Mr. Vilnius.

(10)

Main actvites

Interns’ daily activities and responsibilities were focused in three main areas: supporting the ICD’s cultural diplomacy research, supporting international conferences and event organisation and media, press and public relations support, which involved conducting interviews and writing for the ICD news outlets ‘’Cultural Diplomacy News’’ and ‘Berlin Global’’. During my internship, I mainly conducted interviews and wrote articles for the ICD news outlets. I also contributed to the organisation of two of the ICD annual conferences on cultural diplomacy and supporting other smaller cultural events co – organised by the ICD with local NGOs.

Cultural Diplomacy Research

As part of its work to extend research in the field of cultural diplomacy, the Academy of Cultural Diplomacy has developed the ‘’iCultural Diplomacy project’’, an online platform compiling research undertaken by the ICD and external contributors and pooling cultural diplomacy resources. The aim of this platform is to provide readily accessible information on current developments in the field of cultural diplomacy, links to academic articles on cultural diplomacy, a comprehensive index of private and public sector engagements in cultural diplomacy worldwide and a discussion forum.

Various country profiles and reports analyse cultural diplomacy involvement of different sectors, such as public, private, and civil society in different geographical regions and thematic lenses, such as sports, arts and inter – religious dialogue. The iCultural Diplomacy project also documents historical practices of cultural diplomacy and contains a comprehensive index of cultural diplomacy projects and institutions worldwide. The indexes also serve as point of reference by providing key information and contact details of various projects and organisations for those wishing to engage with cultural diplomacy. The overarching aim is to raise awareness about the relevance of cultural diplomacy in the international political, social and economic fora.

The iCultural Diplomacy project could potentially be reference point for researchers, scholars and students to access to a wide range of sources and contribute to the further dissemination of research in the field of cultural diplomacy. Furthermore, it would also allow the ICD to continue being a key contributor to developments in the field and to promote its own activities.

However, working on the iCultural Diplomacy project was not part of our set priorities and tasks. It would also truly encourage contributions from civil society through its discussion forum. However, the platform is not adequately managed, nor it is sufficiently promoted. Articles and links to academic articles and contributions are not regularly updated. There are no links with academic journals or study associations. As a Research Master student, working on this platform would have been an

(11)

opportunity to acquire insights into a scholarly field and a first- hand experience into the way research themes in the field of cultural diplomacy have developed, the various ways in which it is being conceptualized, the potential formation and the emergence of epistemic communities, to trace themes and trends and track the position of the ICD within these developments.

Media, Press and Public Relations

My assigned tasks were devoted almost entirely to the media, press and public relations components below as will be shown in the following sub- section. My main tasks consisted in writing articles on cultural diplomacy for the ICD News outlets: Cultural Diplomacy News (CD News) and Berlin Global (BG) and conducting interviews with Ambassadors in Berlin.

Media and Press: Reportng on Cultural Diplomacy

Cultural Diplomacy News (CD-News) and Berlin Global are the ICD's online news outlets which report on cultural diplomacy and how it is practiced and implemented globally and locally in Berlin respectively, by the diplomatic community, national governments, intergovernmental and international organisations, the private sector and civil society.³⁵ These outlets aim to provide an internet resource of the current developments in the field of cultural diplomacy worldwide and through a variety of themes such as: politics and society, economy and tourism and arts and culture.³⁶ Whereas, with CD News, the focus was geographic, with Berlin Global, focus was rather on cultural Diplomacy practices by the different embassies, governmental and non-governmental organisations, museums, the private and public sector and civil society in Berlin exclusively. During my internship, I was to be report about a variety of themes both within and beyond my regional focus. Below is table listing all my published articles on CD News and Berlin Global.

Publicaton Date News Outlet

Artcle Title Category

20 July 2016 CD

News

German Heritage Diplomacy or how to boost international standing

CD Culture

20 July 2016 CD

News

Bridging African - German Horizons CD Society 9 August 2016 BG Scandinavian Symphonies: Dulcet Tones

of German Norwegian Diplomacy in Berlin

BG Culture

10 August 2016 CD News

ABN AMRO's Beating Cultural Heart Regional - Europe 15 August 2016 CD

News

Dar El Dekra - Reviving the Golden Age of Tunisian Multiculturalism

Regional - Middle East

35 Berlin Global. "About Berlin Global." Berlin Global. Berlin Global, http://www.berlinglobal.org. 19 May 2017.

36 Ibidem. Berlin Global, http://www.berlinglobal.org. 19 May 2017.

Ibidem.

(12)

15 September 2016 CD News

Interview with Rwandan Ambassador H.E Igor Cesar

BG Embassies 12 September 2016 CD

News

AIESEC Activating leadership by embracing diversity

CD News 12 September 2016 CD

News

Japan and the African Dream CD News 16September 2016 CD

News

Kampala Art Biennale CD News

23 September 2016 BG SERET Israeli film festival in Berlin BG Arts 17 November 2016 BG Interview with Tunisian Ambassador Elyes

Kasri

BG Embassies 6 October 2016 BG Interview with Moroccan Ambassador

Omar Zniber

BG Embassies 11 November 2016 CD

News

Interview with Ugandan Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka

BG Embassies

Each intern was expected to publish one article per day. As each team was composed of five to six members, on average this usually amounted to about five or six articles a day per team for either CD News or Berlin Global. Mr. Vilnius expressly informed interns to write brief articles focusing on positive and recent cultural diplomacy events. Our writing guidelines were as follows:

- Positive topics, no political issues, written in a factual and impartial manner. Criticism of any kind is to be avoided.

- The article must ensure to answer the following questions: Who is involved, what is the act of cultural diplomacy, how does it place and when?

- How is it an example of cultural diplomacy? Throughout the article, it was necessary to explain how the subject matter exemplified cultural diplomacy according to the ICD’s working definition.

- Short, appealing titles and by-lines - Articles must not exceed one page

- Include references (no more than 4 per article) and links

Though there is no explicit mention concerning critical analysis, the short format of the articles did really provide ample space to engage in a deeper critical analysis. However, this did not mean that posing questions for reflection, or statements inducing critical reflection was not possible. This is something that I attempted to do in some of my articles, such as ‘’Dar El Dekra’’ or the ‘’SERET Israeli film festival’’, hinting at culture and cultural exchanges as terrains of contestation and conflict.

Although some articles do try to raise important questions about the use of culture to facilitate diplomatic cooperation and the relationship between culture and representation; they do not

(13)

critically discuss the concept of cultural diplomacy, nor do they assess responses and the wider socio- political ramifications of cultural diplomacy and its various expressions.

Sources

The main sources for the articles were national embassies’, governments’ (particularly foreign and cultural ministries’), non-governmental organisations’ webpages and social media outlets. Other sources included online newspapers, national governments and the African and European Unions’

own websites, the UNESCO and those of various cultural institutes, such as the ‘’Alliance Française’’,

‘’l’Institut Français’’ and the ‘’Goethe Instituut’’. ‘’Le Monde Afrique’’, ‘’Jeune Afrique’’ and ‘’Le Monde Diplomatique’’ proved to be very useful in conjunction with newspapers from African countries.

When researching the relations and cultural cooperation between Germany and various African countries, or whilst preparing for interviews with Ambassadors, I used the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website (Auswartiges Amt), which provided up-to-date detailed information on the historical, economic, political and cultural relationships between Germany and various African countries in both English and German. I also made regular use of the ‘’Diplomatisches Magazin’’ (in English and German) to keep up with ambassadorial appointments, ambassador interviews and current issues in diplomacy and international relations. On the Africa team, it was more challenging to find new topics daily concerning cultural events as they were not well advertised, even events hosted by embassies.

As many African embassies in Berlin do not regularly publish or update their websites, it was often difficult to produce one article a day or to avoid overlapping article subjects. However, it was much easier to find sources on cultural events at the national and regional levels. Being in Berlin, I also had the opportunity to encounter ideas for articles during my own time and to generally become more connected with the cultural scene in the city. Interns were encouraged to attend events as ‘’ICD Press’’ and report on them, however, this proved to be challenging for many events, due to lack of funding and lack of connection with cultural institutions.

To my understanding, the website was intended to function as a point of reference in current events on cultural diplomacy, to regroup as much information from various sources into one online platform.

However, it was unclear to what extent the website was useful and to whom it was benefitting. Yet, the style and format of the articles and the website make CD News and Berlin Global readily accessible to anyone reading English.

Interviewing Ambassadors for Berlin Global

(14)

For Berlin Global, most articles were devoted to cultural diplomacy as practiced by national embassies by interviewing Ambassadors and when possible, attending and reporting on events organised and/or sponsored by embassies. The aim of interviewing ambassadors is to see how cultural diplomacy is understood and practiced in the diplomatic field within Berlin and Germany and to understand its role within general diplomatic relations and overarching national foreign policy.

Apart from raising awareness for cultural diplomacy as a concept and practice, these interviews provide an insight into the historical, political, cultural and economic relationship between each country and Germany and into the daily functioning of the cultural department of an embassy.

Preparing and conducting the interviews was a lengthy process, involving numerous competences in research, writing, organisation and public relations.

Preparing the Interview

Each team was required to conduct interviews with the ambassadors from their respective region and then format it into an article to be published on Berlin Global. Interviews took place at the embassy and were generally filmed. Following approval of the Embassy, the transcript and video were then edited into an article published in Berlin Global. The videos were also published on the ICD’s YouTube channel. In collaboration with fellow interns, I organized and conducted four interviews, during my internship.

- H.E Ambassador of Rwanda, Mr. Igor César of Rwanda,

- H.E Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Omar Zniber, - H.E Ambassador of Tunisia, Mr. Elyes Kasir,

- H.E Ambassador of Uganda, Mr. Marcel Tibaleka

For each interview, the same procedure was followed, although each set of questions was naturally tailored to the ambassador, the country and the specificity of its relationship with Germany. Below is a description of the procedure followed for every interview I conducted.

1. Preliminary Research and Contacting Embassies

Firstly, it was important to ensure that the profile of the relevant embassies and ambassadors’ CVs were up-to-date. This part was important to become familiar with the ambassadors’ career and background and to tailor questions to the ambassador, considering their specific experience and

(15)

expertise. For example, some questions asked ambassadors to compare their motives, interests and approaches to the diplomatic profession and the role of cultural diplomacy. Once this was completed, I then prepared interview requests to be sent by email; presenting the ICD and detailing the aims and scope of the interview.

2. Developing Interview Questions

This part was the lengthiest, often challenging but by far, the most stimulating and enjoyable for me.

For the questionnaire, interns were advised to divide questions into four categories: Personal Career, Bilateral Relations with Germany, Cultural Diplomacy and lastly, Advice. For this section, the questions prepared for the interview with the Ambassador of Tunisia to Germany, H.E Elyes Kasri has been included as an example and can be found in appendix to the report. Naturally, all interviews included at least two questions on the ambassador’s professional backgrounds and how they came to join the diplomatic field and on advice, drawn from their experience, to proffer to younger, aspiring diplomats. Several questions on cultural diplomacy were included, focusing on the concept and practice of cultural diplomacy as understood by the ambassador, its scope and aims and more concretely, on the embassy’s work in implementing it in Berlin and their main areas of cooperation with Germany.

The bulk of the research for the questions was on the bilateral relations; from a historical, political and of course, cultural perspective. The first port of call in the research phase was the embassy website (to cross reference and compare information on the German Embassy in Tunisia and the Tunisian Embassy in Germany). Then followed the German Federal Foreign Office website page on country profiles, other online articles usually from the newspapers and institutions cited previously and in some cases, some Germanophone newspapers. Lastly, it was important to trace recent developments impacting bilateral cultural relations, such as

new cultural policies, partnerships and agreements and events organised by the embassy and civil society in the respective countries. For the interview with the Tunisian Ambassador, my main sources were: German Federal Foreign Office, German Embassy in Tunis, Goethe – Instiuut Tunis.

3. Conducting the Interview

Interviews were always conducted with two interns, between whom the questions were equally split in accordance with their interests and focus during the research phase. The main challenges encountered during the interview were the timing and flow. Though it was important to remain

(16)

within the allocated amount of time, it was equally important to ensure that the Ambassador did not feel rushed or cut off too early. Moreover, ensuring that the interview flowed more like a discussion, without straying from the set question, was equally challenging. As I became accustomed to the interviews, I noted a gradual improvement in the flow, succinctness of questions and the duration of the interviews. This is visible when comparing the first interview held with the Rwandan Ambassador with the third interview held with Tunisian Ambassador. In some cases, ambassadors would raise an important point and though we could not always integrate them into our questions, there was usually enough time after the interview to take those up ’off the record’’ with the ambassador. In some cases, as with the Ambassador of Uganda, H.E Marcel Tibaleka, the answers he provided had clearly been scripted beforehand and it was not possible to ask additional questions at the end.

4.

Transcribing, editing and translating interviews

Once completed, the interview had to be formatted into an article to be published on Berlin Global.

As with other articles, the format for interviews could not exceed one page. The main challenge here was to capture the essence of the interview, chiefly the main points of cooperation in cultural diplomacy between two countries in a succinct and synthetic manner. The article followed the interview order, highlighting important statements made by the Ambassador but also including examples of co – operation and acts considered as cultural diplomacy. The interview article is also a way of promoting current cultural diplomacy initiatives undertaken by countries and to raise awareness about the wealth of practices in the field and naturally about the relevance of cultural diplomacy. Pictures and the video link were also embedded within the article. For some interviews, it was necessary to provide a translation into English to attain a wider readership. The interview was usually left in its original language and sometimes subtitled into English, to promote bilingualism.

Interview link: "Culture is an aspiration for the future".

Internatonal Conference Support

As part of my intern duties, I also participated in organising and supporting the ICD's international conferences. During my internship, I supported the organisation of the "the International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the Arab world: the political, economic and cultural dimensions". The ICD's various conferences contribute to extending research in cultural diplomacy, engage in the intercultural exchange and present the ICD's achievements and challenges throughout the year. The Academy of Cultural Diplomacy organises several international conferences annually to provide larger audiences to engage in lectures, discussions and events featuring eminent personalities in the field of international politics, diplomacy, arts and the cultural industries, academia and both the private and

(17)

public sectors.³⁷ At the end of each year, the ICD hosts its "Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy"

in partnership with other leading institutions. In December 2016, the ICD Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy collaborated with the German Parliament, UNICEF Berlin and the Maritim Hotel chain on "the promotion of human rights through cultural diplomacy". Participation is open to governmental and diplomatic officials, academics, artists, journalists, civil society practitioners, private sector representatives, and young professionals from across the world.

ICD Conference Organisaton: The 2016 Annual Internatonal Symposium on ‘’Cultural Diplomacy in the Arab World: The Politcal, Economic and Cultural Dimensions’’

Every year, the ICD organises an international symposium focusing on cultural diplomacy in the Arabo -Islamic world. In 2016, the symposium focused on opportunities for cultural diplomacy within the Arab World in the framework of the current transitions and challenges.³⁸ In particular, the symposium highlighted best practices in cultural diplomacy of certain countries in the Arab World to strengthen cohesion between diverse communities within the Arab world and beyond.³⁹ Symposium speakers included leading politicians, diplomats, governmental officials, senior academics, journalists, and celebrated artists as well as members of the ICD Advisory Board.⁴⁰ As the conference is also a platform for academic research and analysis related to the conference themes and those of the institute as a whole, participants are encouraged to submit papers.⁴¹ Furthermore, students were strongly encouraged to present their research. During the conference, MA and PhD students from the Academy of Cultural Diplomacy presented their research.

The symposium took place over a week from 26 – 30 July 2016 at the ICD House of Arts and Culture in Berlin. Each day was scheduled to run from 9.00 – 19.00, however, in practice this was often not the case due to participants' delay, various technical and organisational problems. Each conference was concluded by a cultural evening, generally including a music or dance performance and dinner. During the conference, the embassies of Egypt and Pakistan, as sponsors of the conference, organised their own cultural evenings. Most days were a succession of keynote speeches, followed by a short

"question and answer" session from the audience, time permitting. The second half of the conference week was more interactive, featuring student presentations and panel discussions, chaired by Mr.

Donfried and other prominent personalities, such as Mr. Yaşar Yakiş (former foreign minister of 37 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. "Academy for Cultural Diplomacy: International Conferences."

Culturaldiplomacy.org. The Institute for Cultural diplomacy, Web. 18 May 2017.

38 Ibidem.

39 Ibidem.

40 Ibidem.

41 The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy. "Cultural Diplomacy Research: Participant Papers." Cultural Diplomacy Research . The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. Web. 22 May 2017.

(18)

Turkey) and Mr. Dirk Niebel (former minister of Economic development of Germany), allowing students, interns and guest speakers to engage in dynamic discussions. The participants were rather well distributed between various sectors of society and geographical origin, though most tended to come from international politics, diplomacy and the media. Appended to the report, is the symposium program.

Main dutes

The organisation of the conference was mainly overseen by the Africa/Middle East team, though all interns were involved. Interns were divided into different working groups prior to the conference and during the conference. Tasks involved preparation of the conference programme, contacting participants, translation and interpretation, welcoming and assisting guests, technical set up, reporting on the conference debates and arranging interviews with keynote speakers.

Prior to the conference, my main tasks consisted in contacting participants for the planned panel discussions, acquiring sponsors, translating programs and invitations (French – English). In our team, we particularly focused on attracting a wide variety of member from academia and civil society to counter balance with well-known high- profile participants. I therefore focused on contacting mainly Arab- German friendship groups or associations, professors or researches specialised in Middle Eastern studies, mosques and affiliated community leaders. Unfortunately, we did not succeed in striking a balance between the amount of participants from politics and diplomacy and those from civil society. The keynote speakers, who are often returning speakers to ICD conferences had been scheduled months in advance, whereas other guests were not contacted until much later by interns.

To acquire sponsors, I began by contacting diaspora and cultural associations as aforementioned, shops, bakeries and restaurants, travel agencies and airlines. This was a challenging task, requiring much creativity and mobilising a team effort for language skills and finally, we did succeeded in acquiring various promotional materials and props on loan for decoration.

During the conference, a shift system was used permitting the equal distribution of work and enabling interns to experience different aspects of the conference throughout the week. In practice, however, this was not always reflected and organisation of the working groups tended to change at the last minute due to unforeseen organisation changes and absences. Below are the labour divisions during the conference:

 Welcoming committee: Welcoming guests, distributing welcome packages, registration, arranging seating and providing general assistance for participants and speakers.

(19)

 Reportng committee: Interviewing speakers and preparing articles for Berlin Global, live translation of speakers (Arabic – English; French – English).

 Media Committee: Recording the conference, technical assistance, updating social networks presence of ICD.

For my part, I worked in the welcoming committee during the conference, welcoming and assisting guests, particularly Francophone guests and providing general assistance when needed. I also provided interpretation for one of the speeches given in French by the Secretary General of the House of Councillors of the Moroccan Parliament, Mr. Abdelouahid Khouja.

III. Evaluation of the OYED Voluntary Internship

This chapter will evaluate the activities I participated in during my placement period at the ICD, specifically in light of my ReMa Specialisation objectives and the general learning outcomes of the MHIR degree program. The aim of this section is draw out the lessons learnt from this experience.

Evaluaton: ReMa Specialisaton Phase Goals

As part of the specialisation phase of the MHIR ReMa, I decided to pursue an internship at the ICD as I considered that it would enable me to experience a research environment outside of academia, in a field which combines my interest for cultural studies, cultural history and diplomacy. I have recalled below my specialisation goals in three main points:

- Gain theoretical knowledge and critically engage with debates in cultural history and cultural studies, and particularly on the use of culture by the EU within European Construction;

- Critically analyse and assess the impact of culture in post- colonial relations with countries such as France and the United Kingdom

- Develop a PhD proposal based on the theoretical knowledge and insights gained at the ICD on the role of culture in European external relations with ‘’post-colonial’’ countries

Though the ICD internship did not enable me to meet these goals in their entirety, it did enable me to reflect critically on the definition by the ICD of cultural diplomacy. I would not consider that I acquired a comprehensive overview of the field of cultural diplomacy, however, I have certainly developed a critical stance to cultural diplomacy; having observed that the way in which culture is used is not always conducive to peaceful relations. Thanks to this experience, I have refined my research interest

(20)

to focus on the role that cultural policy can play in the European Union’s foreign policy and especially its projection beyond Europe. Having experienced a ‘’multi – European’’ working environment, I seek to gear my research to examine how the European Union will build – or has already started building - its own historical and cultural narrative within its foreign relations. One of my main interrogations, is whether this will be conducive to creating more unity and how this will be expressed through EU foreign policy? What kind of challenges will be faced, especially considering the importance of national narrative and rising populism?

Evaluaton: MHIR Learning Outcomes

The aims and proposed tasks of the ICD internship, at the time, appeared to correspond to the objectives of the specialisation phase concerning internships by demonstrating the ability ‘’to provide the student with experience of the different aspects of academic research: data-collection, data processing and analysis, writing and reporting, the presentation and dissemination of results in several forms. The emphasis is on the research itself, not on editorial or organizing tasks; however, these can be part of the Internship.’’⁴²

The description of the ICD placement, as defined by the ICD and in relation to the MHIR learning outcomes in the Master Placement Plan, has been recalled below (the learning outcomes and Master Placement Plan are both appended to this report).

‘’The ICD’s internship placement program aims to familiarize students with the academic theory and practices of cultural diplomacy. This is done through work in the ICD’s Research development team.

1. The internship activities involve analysing various sources of a digital (audio-visual) and written (policy reports, newspapers, conferences minutes and briefs, scholarly articles and research, conventions and secondary literature such as biographies and monographs) in the aim of researching the cultural diplomacy involvement of countries and organizations. This relates to MHIR learning outcomes (5, 8 and 9) on the publication of research, as cultural diplomacy research will be published on the iCultural Diplomacy index online and disseminated through the ICD seminars and conferences, to contribute to the development of Cultural diplomacy as an academic field.

2. Writing a critical essay on a topic of cultural diplomacy and one of its cross-cutting themes (sports, religion, development aid, culture, foreign policy and international relations) to be published on the iCultural Diplomacy website and presented at one of the ICD’s seminars, in the aim of developing

42 ReMa MHIR. Director of Studies Professor Maarten Duijvendak. Study Guide to the Specialisation Phase in the ReMa MHIR 2014 – 2015, 30 August 2014.

(21)

theoretical frameworks and critical reflection on cultural diplomacy as a practice and academic field.

This relates to the MHIR learning outcomes (1, 2, 3 and 4) as it forms part of a contribution to the theoretical and practical field of Cultural Diplomacy.

3. Organizing and preparing one of the ICD’s seminars and/or conferences around a theme in Cultural Diplomacy in which to present my research within the Cultural Diplomacy Research Development Team and the iCultural Diplomacy online index project. This relates to the MHIR learning outcomes (9, 10 and 14) because it will be a contribution to the field of Cultural Diplomacy to be presented to an audience of specialists and non-specialists (scholars in diplomacy, diplomats, NGO members, historians and students in diplomacy).’’

Research

As discussed in chapter II, the placement period at the Institute for Cultural diplomacy did not fulfil all the above-mentioned learning outcomes and learning objectives of ReMa placement period. My tasks did not involve any critical academic research on the theory and practice of cultural diplomacy and as such I was not able to provide any contributions to the field in the form of a paper or participation in any ICD conferences. As the research was geared to producing short articles daily, in- depth research and a critical analysis would not have been feasible. Engaging in a critical analysis was not part of the aims and scope of the reporting and writing I did for the ICD News outlets.

However, my desk research did enable me to familiarize myself with the wide variety of cultural diplomacy practices and to use various media (written and audio-visual – notable the interviews with ambassadors) to share my ‘’research results’’. Even though, I did not produce any evidence for it – through a paper or conference participation – this placement period did stimulate my own critical reflection on cultural diplomacy, which will be more extensively developed in the following section.

Writing about intercultural exchanges daily enabled me to observe that

Throughout my internship period, I did become acquainted with the ICD’s own conceptualisation and implementation of cultural diplomacy guided by its working definition. Through the multicultural working environment and my experience in the ICD conference on cultural diplomacy in the Arab world I could acquire a better understanding of the scope and the limitations of cultural diplomacy – which to my understanding, is also a terrain of contestation and conflict and not always a tool for rapprochement as propounded by the ICD.

Skills and Knowledge

During the internship period, I trained a different set of writing skills to produce succinct articles in English, appealing to a wide readership, especially non- specialist audiences. I considered that this

(22)

was an important training in my ability to briefly and concisely convey my arguments for both a specialist and non – specialist readership. These are key skills to possess, especially when preparing articles and research proposals. I was also able to put my German language skills into practice, as much in the research process as in daily life. Using German language sources certainly contributed to improving my fluency in reading and understanding. Furthermore, being able to harness several language skills is a crucial research skill, allowing a wider comparison of sources, perspectives and a generally richer analysis.

IV. Conceptualizing Cultural Diplomacy:

Opportunities and Limitations

This final section will engage in a critical reflection on the concept of cultural diplomacy, by examining its opportunities, limitations, and empirical challenges. The ICD’s working definition of cultural diplomacy will be examined, in relationship to the definition developed by Mark C. Donfried and Jessica Gienow – Hecht, in their seminal work in the field; ‘’Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy’’

(Gienow – Hecht and Donfried, 2010).

Landscapes of Cultural Diplomacy

Despite having been historically at the borders of diplomacy scholarship and the international relations field, the study of cultural diplomacy has been gaining visibility. The role of culture in diplomacy had often tended to be subsumed under the concept of ‘’soft power’’ as coined by Joseph S. Nye.⁴³ This scholarly field is characterized by ‘’the absence of any conceptual consensus regarding what cultural diplomacy entails’’ according to Simon Mark.⁴⁴ More commonly, cultural diplomacy has been seen as a tool to support national policies or to advance national interests.⁴⁵ This is clear from the 1959 US State Department’s definition of cultural diplomacy as “the direct and enduring contact between peoples of different nations” designed to “help create a better climate of international trust and understanding in which official relations can operate.”⁴⁶ In 2005, the Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy of the US State Department published a report in which it considers ‘’ Cultural diplomacy to be the linchpin of public diplomacy; for it is in cultural activities that a nation’s idea of 43 Donfried, Mark C. "Interview with Mark C. Donfried." Interview by Christian Diemer (PhD). Europe

& Me, March 14, 2011. Accessed 18 May 2017. http://www.europeandme.eu/projects/item/52- interview-with-mark-c-donfried.

44 Mark.S. (2009). A Greater Role for Cultural Diplomacy. The Hague: ‘’Clingendael’’: The Netherlands Institute of International Affairs.

45 Gienoz hect

46 Gienow and Hecht, p.13.

(23)

itself is best represented’’.⁴⁷ Considering 9/11 and the US Iraq invasion, the report establishes a list of definitions of cultural diplomacy, such as the following: ‘’cultural diplomacy helps to create a foundation of trust with other people and upon which policy makers can build on to reach political, economic and military agreements.’’⁴⁸ As such, the field of cultural diplomacy has tended to be pervaded by US influence and conceptions. American political scientist, Milton C. Cummings has provided a definition of cultural diplomacy as ‘’ the exchange of ideas, information, art, and other aspects of culture among peoples in order foster mutual understanding, though efforts can be concentrated in a self – promotion approach to the rest of the world.’’⁴⁹ This is also reflected in the ICD’s working definition of cultural diplomacy ‘’as a course of actions, based on and utilize the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation, promote national interests and beyond; Cultural diplomacy can be practiced by the public sector, private sector or civil society."⁵⁰

In Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy, Mark C. Donfried and Jessica Gienow – Hecht, compile important research on cultural diplomacy (including Haigh 1974, Vaughan 2005, Melissen 2009, Mark 2009) and include of case studies and geographical locations⁵¹. However, Donfried and Gienow – Hecht refrain from presenting a definition of cultural diplomacy and let the contributors’ conception take the lead. Donfried and Gienow – Hecht succeed in giving brief insights into the complexity of the subject. Cultural Diplomacy as a field of research could benefit from other disciplinary areas such as postcolonialism and poststructuralism. If cultural diplomacy involves sharing a certain group’s values and is the project of an idea of one’s self to the rest of the world, then it raises questions about narrative and representation and naturally, the exercise of power. What image will ‘’we’’ project to

‘’them’’? Who controls that image and who has the right, the legitimacy to project it?

The rising democratisation of access to culture and alternative histories, developments in global history and transnational histories also have an impact on the representations to be channelled through cultural diplomacy. For example, recalling Stuart Hall, the conceptualisation of Britain and

47 US Department of State, Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy. (2005) ‘’Culturql Diplomacy: The Linchpin of Public Diplomacy. 1, The US Department of State. Accessed 18 May 2017.

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/54374.pdf

48 US Department of State, Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy. (2005) ‘’Culturql Diplomacy: The Linchpin of Public Diplomacy. 1, The US Department of State. Accessed 18 May 2017.

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/54374.pdf

49 C. Cummings, Milton (2003). Cultural Dipomacy and the United States Government: A Survey.

Washington D.C Centre of Arts and Culture

50 The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. What is Cultural Diplomacy?". The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Culturaldiplomacy.org, Accessed 19 May 2017. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?

en_culturaldiplomacy

51 Gienow – Hecht J.C.E and Donfried.M.(eds). (2010). Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy. Berghahn Books, New York.

(24)

British heritage simply as the imposition of imperialism and worldwide domination no longer corresponds to the reality of a diverse society, enriched by its Afro – Caribbean, African, South East Asian, and Islamic communities.⁵²

Challenges and limitatons

The rapidly changing context of international relations (globalisation, rise of the EU as a global actor, technological developments) does pose some limitation key conceptual and empirical challenges.

How will the field of studies of cultural diplomacy consider the impact of phenomena such as Schengen or the general technological developments (e.g. Facebook) that allow so many different people to communicate? For example, can the Erasmus program be considered as cultural diplomacy? These can most certainly be said to play an important role in how people interact and shape their conceptions of relations with people from various cultures, states, and organisations. This is also conducive to decentring approaches to cultural diplomacy, to include other actors than the state. In the case of Erasmus, the European member State and the 28 European member states as a union and the participants can all be considered as cultural diplomats. How then can these different levels of agency be studied?

From the Cold War period to the recent period, cultural diplomacy in the US diplomatic arsenal is seen as yet another vehicle to effect change and exert influence in international relations. In this case, cultural diplomacy serves a clear policy. Yet, how can the relationship between certain policy goals and political motives and ‘’cultural acts’’ (e.g. exchange programmes) be observed and also how can it be best studied? How effective can such acts be in reaching economic or military agreements? One could argue that the increased commercial relations and worldwide communication may already be working as a form of cultural diplomacy because such relations already involves actors working closely together and encountering different worldviews.Though cultural diplomacy – concepts and practices – vary across time and space, there must surely be some common denominators that can be found to at least provide researchers with some guidelines. Relatedly, the conceptualisation of

‘’culture’’ is a key issue. What exactly does the ‘’cultural’’ in cultural diplomacy refer to? It is more than the exchange of folklore and gifts. Is it the encounter of weltanschauungen?

In Europe, the institutionalisation of culture through the British Council, l’Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes and the Goethe Instituut exemplify the variety of ways in which Cultural diplomacy is understood and practiced.⁵³ The Institut Français operates under the aegis of the French ministry of

52 Hall. S. Whose Heritage? Un-settling ‘’The Heritage’’, Re – imagining the Post Nation’’. Third Text 49, Winter 1999 – 2000. Text of Hall’s Keynote speech ‘’Whose Heritage? The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Britain’s Living heritage’’ Conference, November 1 1999, G – Mex, Manchester, England.

53 Gienow – Hecht J.C.E and Donfried.M.(eds). (2010). Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy. Berghahn Books, New York.

(25)

Foreign Affairs and places a strong accent on language, will have different objectives and methods than the British Council, which is a private institution.⁵⁴ For the Institut Français, as well as for the Goethe Instituut, the promotion of French and German occupy a central place, which is crucial in a world in which trade and politics are predominantly conducted in English. The practitioners of cultural diplomacy in those institutes, such as the policy makers also have a key role to play in the field. On the one hand, these practitioners due to their immersion in the field could provide important insights of their practice to the theoretical grounding of the discipline (pragmatic approaches, intercultural and interpersonal communication). On the other, the discipline could also prove to be an important source for these cultural practitioners to develop policies and practices that include conceptual challenges of the discipline and problematise notions of representation, historical narratives and ‘’otherizing’’, to mention but a few.

VI. Bibliography

Literature

Gienow – Hecht J.C.E and Donfried.M.(eds). (2010). Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy. Berghahn Books, New York.

Hall. S. Whose Heritage? Un-settling ‘’The Heritage’’, Re – imagining the Post Nation’’. Third Text 49, Winter 1999 – 2000.

C. Cummings, Milton (2003). Cultural Dipomacy and the United States Government: A Survey.

Washington D.C Centre of Arts and Culture

Mark.S. (2009). A Greater Role for Cultural Diplomacy. The Hague: ‘’Clingendael’’: The Netherlands Institute of International Affairs.

Sources

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. ‘’About the ICD.’’ The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

Culturaldiplomacy.org http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_abouticd (accessed November 1^st, 2016)

54 Idem, p.25.

(26)

____________________________. ‘’The Academic Board’’. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

Culturaldiplomacy.org http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?

en_academy_academic-board (accessed November 1st, 2016).

____________________________.’’Leadership and Board: ICD Advisory Board.’’ The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_advisoryboard-icd (accessed January 1^st, 2017).

___________________________. About: President Edmund Stoiber.”. The Institute for Cultural

Diplomacy , Culturaldiplomacy.org , Accessed May 18, 2017.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?edmund-stoiber

___________________________."About: The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy." The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy , Culturaldiplomacy.org. Accessed May 18, 2017.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?en_about.

___________________________. "What is Cultural Diplomacy?". The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Culturaldiplomacy.org, Accessed 19 May 2017.

___________________________. "About the Inter Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace (IPAHP)." The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance for Human Rights and Global Peace (IPAHP).

Accessed 23 May, 2017. http://www.ipahp.org/index.php?en_about.

___________________________. "Organisation for Youth Education and Development: About the OYED." Oyed.org. 2015. Accessed May 18, 2017. http://www.oyed.org/index.php?en_about.

___________________________. "About the ICD House of Arts and Culture". Accessed 18 May, 2017.

www.icdhouse.org

___________________________. "Academy for Cultural Diplomacy: International Conferences."

Culturaldiplomacy.org. The Institute for Cultural diplomacy, Web. 18 May 2017.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?en_iscd-2016_arab-world_home

___________________________. "Cultural Diplomacy Research: Participant Papers." Cultural Diplomacy Research . The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. Accessed 22 May 2017.

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?cdr_particpant-papers_application-form Donfried, Mark C. "Interview with Mark C. Donfried." Interview by Christian Diemer (PhD). Europe &

Me, March 14, 2011. Accessed 18 May 2017. http://www.europeandme.eu/projects/item/52- interview-with-mark-c-donfried.

Berlin Global. ‘’About Berlin Global’’. Berlin Global, Accessed 19 May 2017.

http://www.berlinglobal.org.