The Role of British Council in UK Culture Diplomacy

Abstract

The UK and the British Council have long been recognized as global leaders in the use of culture as an instrument of diplomacy and foreign policy. However, as the cultural landscape in Europe begins to shift as a result of Brexit, the UK's cultural diplomacy has become increasingly important. This paper provides a systematic review of the British Council's role in British cultural diplomacy by mapping its policy instruments, organizational framework, and overseas activities. By critically analyzing the interaction between the British Council and British cultural diplomacy, the study discusses the inherent relationship between national strategic planning and the different policy instruments and activities it generates. The British Council's global activities demonstrate that cultural institutions provide an important reference for audiences as creators and communicators of cultural diplomacy and soft power narratives.

Internationalisation of Education: Focus on Central Asia and Eastern Neighbourhood

“…It emphasises the role of English language acquisition in cultural diplomacy, claiming to contribute to the creation of 'friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries'; and to unlocking 'a whole new world of opportunities' (British Council, 2020;cited in Noack, 2021). A systematic analysis of the British Council's role in British cultural diplomacy finds that the UK government works through the British Council to deliver prescribed messages that are consistent with the country's broader political goals (Zhou, 2022).…”

Ciudades creativas: aproximaciones metodológicas para la construcción de una narrativa. De la visión multilateral a la planificación local.

“…A estas aproximaciones iniciales -extendidas en su uso como herramienta diplomática por Gran Bretaña (Zhou, 2022)-le siguieron con brío en América Latina similares esfuerzos, dotados de una marca propia de la mano de La Economía Naranja de Duque y Buitrago, que a su vez construyeron sobre las ideas de Throsby (1994), Howkins (2001) y Landry (2007), entre otros, pero cuya inspiración definitiva en cuanto a formato comunicacional estuvo influida por las series del British Council sobre economía creativa (Newbigin, 2010). Todas las definiciones y esfuerzos han tratado de clasificar y de darle una identidad a un concepto que cuesta acotar, por su misma evolución.…”