Introducing transnationalism studies to the field of public diplomacy

0483381 - OÚ 2018 RIV AU eng J - Journal Article
Exnerová, Věra
Introducing transnationalism studies to the field of public diplomacy.
Journal of International Communication. Roč. 23, č. 2 (2017), s. 186-199. ISSN 1321-6597
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-21829S
Institutional support: RVO:68378009
Keywords : China * domestic structure * Public diplomacy * transnational societal space * transnationalism studies
OECD category: Political science

This article describes several spheres in which introducing transnationalism studies to public diplomacy and vice versa would be inspirational. First, transnationalism studies offer an alternative unit of reference to the nation-state, specifically the ‘transnational societal spaces’. This framework conceptualises the distribution of resources and also interests and power, as polycentric. It explores the sustained ties of people, networks and organisations across the multiple nation-states. The standard studies of public diplomacy tend to provide monocentric analysis that explores the tools and institutions of the country of ‘origin’, while overlooking the domestic structures and not taking into account the participation of other actors, such as diverse groups and individuals (scholars, politicians, elites, civil society, etc.) in the ‘recipient’ country or space. Second, transnationalism studies include diverse actors including the state into the analysis. Third, the framework also reveals the different ‘sites’ that we might not otherwise expect or locate in public diplomacy if using the nation-state as a unit of reference. Specifically, it explores the ‘people’ around these sites ‘networks’ connecting them, and their interactions and forms of communication. The framework opens up the debate on public diplomacy and provides significant potential for further theoretical and conceptual development of the discipline.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0280097