19-20 January 2017

Over the last two decades, public diplomacy has become a central area of research within Cold War studies. Yet, this field has been dominated by studies of the superpower's soft power practices; especially the public diplomacy programs of the United States have been covered in great detail. However, the so-called 'cultural dimension' of the Cold war was a much more complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Little attention has been paid to the European countries' efforts to safeguard their strategic, economic, and political interests by engaging and seducing foreign publics.

This symposium focuses on the study of the European powers' use of soft power techniques, broadly defined, to advance their foreign policies in the international tumultuous scenario of the Cold War. It welcomes contributions that deal with the uses of European cultural, educational, and communication diplomacy aimed at winning the "hearts and minds" of international public opinion between the 1950s and 1980s.

Venue

Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS), Aarhus University, Buildings 1630-1632, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. See location on a map.

Keynote speaker

Prof. Dr. Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Department of History, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

http://www.jfki.fu-berlin.de/en/faculty/history/persons/Teaching-Staff/gienow_hecht/index.html 

Speakers

• Carlos Sanz, Complutense University Madrid, Spain
• Cristina Blanco, New University of Lisbon, Portugal
• Irina Gordeeva
• José Manuel Morales, Complutense University Madrid, Spain
• Katherine Pence, City University of New York, USA
• Louis Clerc, University of Turku, Finland
• Simon Young, University of Winchester, Uk
• Torben Gülstorff, Independent Researcher
• Verity Clarkson, University of Brighton, UK
• Benedetta Zucconi, University of Bern, Schweiz
•  Julie Andersen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
• Tea Sindbæk Andersen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Sune Bechmann Pedersen, University of Gothemburg, Sweden
• Kim Frederichsen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Lisanne Wilken, Aarhus University, Denmark

Programme

See the programme here.

Time schedule

Thursday 19 January

08:30-09:00: Registration
09:00-17:30: Talks
19:00-: Dinner (for speakers only)

Friday 20 January

09:00-12:30: Talks  

Participation: open to all

The symposium is open to all: students, researchers and the public. Prior registration is not necessary. Participation includes refreshments in the coffee breaks but lunch is only provided for speakers and discussants.

Call for Papers: CLOSED

This symposium focuses on the study of the European powers' use of soft power techniques, broadly defined, to advance their foreign policies in the international tumultuous scenario of the Cold War.

It welcomes contributions that deal with the uses of European cultural, educational, and communication diplomacy aimed at winning the "hearts and minds" of international public opinion between the 1950s and 1980s.  

READ THE FULL CALL FOR PAPERS HERE.

Deadline: 1 October 2016.

Support

The symposium is funded by:

• Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS)
• The History Research Program, Aarhus University
• Global Studies Research Program, Aarhus University