Elements of Culture in the Diplomacy of Emerging Asian Powers I.

Abstract

Asia's growing influence in the international system is an inevitable process today, which can also be observed in cultural foreign relations. The study focuses on the global powers (China, India), two regional great powers actively engaged in cultural diplomacy (Turkey, Japan), and one middle power, South Korea, considered a great power in the cultural dimension. The analysis concentrates exclusively on diplomacy and governmental actions, interpreting the concept of culture broadly. These emerging powers have joined international cultural cooperation as latecomers, often in response to certain constraining circumstances (such as a negative national image or previous isolation). In the first part of the study we examine traditional areas developed in European practice (e.g., language teaching, scholarships, media) and more conscious or modified forms of older instruments (e.g., diaspora policy, international development cooperation), while we present newer initiatives in the second part.