Author: National Arts Journalism Program

Publication Year: 2003

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Arts & Minds: A Conference on Cultural Diplomacy amid Global Tensions, held on April 14-15, 2003 at Columbia University, put a spotlight on cultural diplomacy's history, viability, and prospects.

Abstract:

Arts & Minds: A Conference on Cultural Diplomacy amid Global Tensions, held on April 14-15, 2003 at Columbia University, put a spotlight on cultural diplomacy's history, viability, and prospects. The event, sponsored by the National Arts Journalism Program, Arts International (NAJP), and the Center for Arts and Culture, brought together prominent U.S. and foreign diplomats, historians, artists, arts administrators, and journalists. Panels and open discussions explored how new arts programs might play a role in recasting the U.S. image and promote international understanding. This publication features an introduction by NAJP Research Fellow Michael Z. Wise and includes conference proceedings from various panels and discussions.

Over the past decade, overall funding for U.S. government-sponsored cultural and educational programs abroad fell by over 33 percent. Although the has largely dismantled the apparatus of cultural diplomacy built up during the Cold War, the aftermath of September 11th have challenged the wisdom of this strategy. The conference probed the efficacy of American cultural diplomacy during its Cold War heyday and highlighted the cultural diplomacy campaigns now being waged by foreign nations with a view toward drawing lessons for U.S. policy. The conference also paid special attention to the outlook for U.S. cultural initiatives in the Islamic world.

CONTENTS

• Introduction.
• Opening Remarks.
• Cultural Diplomacy and U.S. Security, A Plenary Presentation.
• America's Global Image: Short-Term Branding or Long-Term Exchange?
• Keynote Address.
• Cultural Diplomacy in Historical Perspective-From 19th Century World's Fairs to the Cold War.
• The Cultural Diplomacy of Other Nations.
• Can Cultural Diplomacy Improve America's Standing in the Islamic World?
• Culture as a Tool of Statecraft: Case Studies.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: International, Cultural Diplomacy and Exchange