[ecrea] Call for Chapters Edited Volume: ‘Public Diplomacy at the Times of Uncertainty’

*
*Call for Chapters Edited Volume:* ‘*/Public Diplomacy at the Times of 
Uncertainty/**’**
*

*Rationale**
*

With the fall of the Cold War, the subsequent advancement of the liberal 
world order and the expansion of neo-liberal political economy across 
political regimes was legitimised by Western diplomatic actors with 
stability narratives. The eastwards expansion of polities such as the 
European Union and the NATO; the reconfigurations of relationships 
between state and non-state actors, the emergence of international 
regimes (e.g. climate change agreements); the fourth wave of 
democratisation – all of which begun shifts in global power politics 
that gradually led to the outbreak of political upheavals and proxy 
wars. In addition, the expansion of globalism, including the rapid 
development of digital media technologies, augmented these 
transformations, and consequently blurred the boundaries and transcend 
borders, as well as have had profound effects on citizens globally. The 
accessibility of information, normalisation of digital media 
technologies in international politics, the growing citizens’ engagement 
with foreign policy issues have also altered the international 
communication flows: the possibility to target publics from all over the 
globe, aided by instantaneity of communication patterns, as well as the 
acknowledgement that they have been given a voice. In these settings, 
diplomacy and statecraft, including the practice of public diplomacy has 
been a gradual process facilitating the articulation of narratives 
legitimising the stability of, and the promises of, the liberal world 
order. This is no longer the case.

Paradoxically, uncertainty has amplified since the beginning of the 21st 
century due to the unprecedented rhythm of simultaneous political 
changes on multiple levels. In international politics, a variety of 
non-state actors (TNCs, media conglomerates, digital media technology 
organisations, global social movements) have come to be active and 
engage with issues considered to be exclusively governments’ affairs. At 
the same time, the established world order is challenged by the rise of 
China and Russia, and major protest movements such as the Arab Spring. 
In domestic political theaters, the personalisation of politics, the 
anti-establishment sentiments, populism and nationalisms have emerged 
and entered the diplomatic realm, reconfiguring the relationships 
between actors and traditional allies: in the US, the unforeseen victory 
of Donald Trump and its controversial foreign policy actions (e.g. the 
travel ban, the immigration order, the new “friendly” relations with 
Russia and China, etc.) have disrupted previous norms, rituals and even 
values of American diplomacy (most recently at the NATO summit in July 
2018); in Europe, the rise of populism and the right-wing parties 
culminated with Brexit and the questioning of the European Union’s 
future. The EU seems to struggle to keep up with political differences, 
especially economic development between the “old” Western Europe and the 
“new” members, while it fails to contend with the rise of 
authoritarianism in Hungary and Poland. In the Middle East, the 
political upheavals and conflicts of recent years have also lead to 
paralysis in global institutions with the UN unable to address the 
Syrian Civil War or the gradual establishment of an autocratic regime in 
Turkey. In addition, transnational migration and crises (e.g. the 
refugee crisis in Europe) or highly disruptive events such as the 
terrorist attacks across Europe have fuelled heavily this climate of 
increased instability and political extremism. Further, digital media 
technology and social media platforms have facilitated the propagation 
of ‘fake news’ and disinformation, ironically “helped” by the eagerness 
of states to instrumentalise statecraft practices.
It is in these times of uncertainty that we propose a rethink of public 
diplomacy as fields of study and practice. The past two decades have 
seen increased interest in the study of public diplomacy, with a focus 
on the emergence of non-state actors, the accelerated digitalisation, 
the need for continuous professionalisation of diplomacy and for better 
tools to execute, measure and evaluate public diplomacy. The role of 
public diplomacy activities that can bridge differences between 
societies, nations and governments in an age of rage, societal tensions 
and dis-engagement has also been discussed. As a practice, public 
diplomacy is no longer the prerogative of affluent countries. From Lima 
to Vladivostok, and Reykjavik to Cape Town, new actors are increasingly 
practicing public diplomacy. Thus, there is a need to substantially and 
geographically diversify the actors that are investigated by public 
diplomacy scholars. In addition, digital media technologies are 
disrupting both the practice and study of public diplomacy: big data, 
sentiment analysis and even bots are being used by nations to foster, or 
undermine, relationships while scholars are utilizing such tools as new 
means to evaluate public diplomacy activities. It is therefore also 
necessary to explore how innovative technologies can inform the avenues 
of the public diplomacy practice and the enquiry of this field. Lastly, 
scholars have called for more inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches 
in analysis of public diplomacy to account for the complex changes in 
the field.

Addressing these developments, this volume invites reflection around 
these key questions, aiming to explore the state of public diplomacy in 
times of uncertainty:

*RQ.1. *How does the practice of public diplomacy compare across 
different political regimes?
*RQ.2. *How do** transnational political trends shape the practice of 
public diplomacy?
*RQ.3. *What are policy and institutional trends underpinning the 
adaption of public diplomacy?
*RQ. 4.* How are the challenges of digitalisation in public diplomacy 
addressed by political actors?
*RQ.5. *How do professional identities of public diplomats shift and 
what drives their re-invention?

*Description of Volume**
*

The aim of this edited volume is to bring together perspectives and 
areas in public diplomacy that are under-explored. We therefore welcome 
chapters that discuss: new issues in public diplomacy such as populism, 
strategic disinformation, global protests, activism & social movements, 
diaspora; complex methodologies; public diplomacy practices in countries 
from geographical areas insufficiently covered/ underrepresented in 
public diplomacy literature (e.g. South America, Africa, Middle East, or 
Asia).

*Editors:**
*

Dr. Alina Dolea, Bournemouth University, (edolea /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(edolea /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk)>
Dr. Pawel Surowiec, Bournemouth University, (psurowiec /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(psurowiec /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk)>
Ilan Manor, Oxford University, (ilan.manor /at/ stx.ox.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(ilan.manor /at/ stx.ox.ac.uk)>

*Submission Guidelines**
*

Interested authors should send an abstract of 500 words and a short bio 
(author name, affiliation, contact details) to the editors. Proposals 
should include: provisional chapter title, the area or perspective on 
public diplomacy that the chapter aims to cover, the main 
thesis/contribution of the chapter to public diplomacy theory and/or 
practice, methodologies, and up to 10 key words.
*
*
*Indicative Timeline:**
*

17 September, 2018 – abstract submitted to editors
Early October 2018 – authors notified of editors’ decision
28 February, 2019 – submission of first draft of full chapters
April, 2019 – feedback to authors
June, 2019 – final draft due
End of 2019 – complete manuscript delivered to publisher
Publication of the book in 2020

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