Public Diplomacy and Engagement: Reviewing Theoretical Developments

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Abstract

Engagement has gradually become central in current public diplomacy’s practice and study. This paper reviews the literature on public diplomacy to identify when engagement started to emerge as a concept in public diplomacy and to illustrate how its conceptualization has evolved overtime. In addition, it looks at current tendencies, the recent critical turn inside and outside the field of public diplomacy to discuss potential avenues for future research. The way ahead proposed is to reflect on public diplomacy as constructed discourses of engagement.

Author

• Alina Dolea, Bournemouth University