Controversy, uncertainty and the diverse public in cultural diplomacy: Australia–China relations

ABSTRACT

In the past few years, foreign policy tensions between China and Australia have become especially fraught. In some cases, this political situation manifests in the very diplomatic initiatives that were funded to help ease relations. This article considers a case study of a theatrical collaboration in the context of contemporary Australia–China relations to interrogate the value of our understandings of and evaluation frameworks for public diplomacy. This article argues that theories of cultural diplomacy and assessments of initiatives need to consider the multiple and competing objectives, diverse publics and controversial receptions that may be the outcomes of cultural diplomatic initiatives. It demonstrates this complexity in relation to Australia–China relations. Taking a cultural diplomatic initiative that sought to increase positive association for Chinese culture in the Australian public as a case study, it illustrates the range of differences that can be found amongst stakeholders, and the different roles that may be ascribed to cultural diplomacy. These interests, including those of different artistic and political stakeholders, as well as differences in the publics involved, are best segmented not only according to nation but also to subculture.

KEYWORDS:

• Public diplomacy
• cultural diplomacy
• China–Australia relations
• foreign policy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 One response reflected on the cause of what they considered to be poor artistry: ‘I was so disappointed that it was so pantomime in its choreography and storytelling, and that the music was so crudely western … So in the end, what was so powerful about the production was how clearly evident that the political upheaval of that time so utterly destroyed and devastated a country’s rich cultural history’.

Additional information

Funding

This research is associated with an evaluation project that was made possible with the support of the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Department of Communications and the Arts, and the City of Melbourne's Smart City Research Team.

Notes on contributors

Katya Johanson

A/Professor Katya Johanson is Associate Dean (Partnerships and International) for the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University, a researcher in the School of Communication and Creative Arts and co-founder of Cultural Impact Projects, a research group that addresses the social and cultural impact of arts and cultural initiatives. Her research on cultural policy, arts and national identity, and audience behaviour has been published in the International Journal of Cultural Policy, Poetics and Cultural Trends.

Amanda Coles

Dr Amanda Coles is cross-appointed to the Arts and Cultural Management, and Employment Relations graduate programs in the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Amanda’s research examines public policy for the cultural economy. She holds a PhD in Comparative Public Policy from McMaster University, and is a Co-Researcher with Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalisation and Work (CRIMT) based in Montreal, Canada.

Hilary Glow

Associate Professor Hilary Glow is Director of the Arts and Cultural Management Program and co-founder (with Dr Katya Johanson) of Cultural Impact Projects a research group that brings together academics from diverse fields to address the issue of the impact of arts and cultural practices. Glow’s research is in the areas of arts and cultural impact, audience engagement, evaluation processes for arts organisations, the impact of arts programs on people’s views of cultural diversity, barriers to arts attendance, and audience measures of artistic quality.

Caitlin Vincent

Dr Caitlin Vincent is a researcher and academic in the cultural and creative industries. Her areas of interest include digital technology, creative workforces and labour, organisational management, and gender and diversity. Dr Vincent has published across digital performance, scenography, gender studies, employment, and public diplomacy. In 2019, she was appointed Lecturer in Creative Industries at the University of Melbourne and an affiliate member of the Centre for People, Organisation and Work at RMIT University.