Research summary
Cultural diplomacy includes the exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations to foster mutual understanding-and it offers avenues for connecting in an increasingly adversarial world. As Canada Research Chair in Art, Culture and Global Relations, Dr. Sarah Smith is working on new ways to understand cultural diplomacy, emphasizing the contributions of practitioners such as artists and cultural workers.
Smith and her research team are assessing practitioner networks as agents of cultural diplomacy, analyzing the role that cultural institutions play in cultural diplomacy, and examining the policies that structure cultural diplomacy initiatives. They aim to expand discussions to include overlooked areas in the field while also demonstrating how cultural diplomacy can influence international relationships.