The Diplomacy of Culture is the first book, surprisingly, to address the tug-of-war between cultural diversity and globalisation in the framework of international relations. As such, it is prime reading for foreign-policy professionals and analysts, especially as culture has long risen close to the top of the priorities lists of many a foreign service. Yet this should also absorb anyone interested in globalisation's conflicts or indeed in diplomatic accounts in general. Because UNESCO is the forum where the UN members debate and negotiate cultural issues, the book focuses primarily on that organisation. Indeed, as Kozymka reveals, several international treaties, or conventions, have already been agreed at UNESCO regulating cultural relations and specifically protecting cultural diversity - one of which was signed when the US made the big mistake of having adopted an empty-chair policy.
The author evidently has precise knowledge of the international body in question. She thus explores the contradictions inherent to UNESCO's pursuit of cultural diversity, namely the clash between the diversity of national cultures and cultural diversity within states. States, indeed, are often motivated to protect their national cultures from foreign encroachment, but less so to encourage an internal diversity that only risks undermining domestic cohesion. UNESCO, as a result, is often caught between two stools, between the necessity of admonishing and accommodating the wishes of its members. But Kozymka also has a keen eye for the behaviour of the international actors themselves, and The Diplomacy of Culture, while at heart an academic work, makes for lively reading. One will learn, for example, of the Franco-Canadian plot to take advantage of US absence to forge the treaty currently in place, of the epic Cambodian-Thai battle over an old Khmer temple in the jungle and its ramifications, and of rising Brazil's peculiar positioning on the cultural chessboard. Kozymka's work is an authoritative debut in the field, and one hopes that it will be followed and emulated with more research into this budding area of international state competition.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
