Seminar｜“PD radar”: Introducing a framework to map the terrain of public diplomacy

Details

TIME: Monday, 11 Dec. 2023, h. 18:00-19:30

VENUE: HS436 & VooV (Tencent Meetings)*

SPEAKER: Juyan Zhang, University of Texas at San Antonio

MODERATOR/DISCUSSANT: Dr Dharma Adhikari

SERIES COORDINATOR: Dr Marco Pellitteri

Abstract

Public diplomacy (PD) as a field of practice and as scholarly subject appears to be extremely fragmented. In this talk, I will introduce a dual framework, named a “PD radar”, in an attempt to bring coherence, interconnectedness, and systematicity to our understanding of the terrain of PD practices and theories. The main framework of the PD radar consists of two crossing axes representing ethics (compassion and manipulation) and efficacy (narratives and rational arguments), and five concentric circles representing the goals of PD, power of PD, “worldviews” underlying PD practices, and relevant theories. The sub-framework depicts basic components of a PD program and their relationship to the main framework. The PD radar is a descriptive and normative model. It can be used to evaluate a PD program, the PD tendency of a nation, and PD trends in the world.

Biography

Juyan Zhang is professor of communication at the University of Texas at San Antonio (United States of America) and contributing scholar for the USC (University of South California) Center on Public Diplomacy. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri-Columbia (USA). His research focusses on strategic communication, public diplomacy, interfaith dialogue, religious tourism, and media studies. He published two monographs with the USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s “Faith diplomacy” project, respectively on Buddhist diplomacy and the Sino-Vatican faith diplomacy. He is also interested in Buddhist studies.