Country Profiles: Germany - Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

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Table of Contents 1. Introduction- Research Method 2. Methodology 3. Historical Overview Before WWII 3.1 Deutsche Akademie 3.2 Deutscher Akadamischer Austauschdienst 3.3 1936 Olympics 4. Historical Overview Since 1945 4.1 Radio Deutsche Welle 4.2 World Festival of Youth & Students 4.3 Franco-German Youth Office 4.4 Kulturweit 4.5 Weitwärts 5. Overview of Contemporary Cultural Diplomacy in German 6. Application of Cultural Diplomacy in the Public Sector 6.1 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) 6.2 Institute for Foreign Relations (IFA) 6.3 Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin 6.4 International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany 7. Application of Cultural Diplomacy in the Private Sector 7.1 Atelier Culture 7.2 Weltküche 7.3 Protestent intercultural day care centre Astrid Lindgren 7.4 Into… 7.5 Lanxess Young euroclassic China Tour 8. Application of Cultural Diplomacy in Civil Society 8.1 SPUKU 8.2 ZEIT Foundation 8.3 Musica Altona 8.4 Maecentata Institute 8.5 Buntkicktgut 9. Analysis and Conclusion 10. Bibliography
1. Introduction Germany anno 2011 is a nation undergoing rapid changes. The society is increasingly intercultural with persons with a migration background making up 19,2 % of the population. 74 As a consequence, integration and concepts like multiculturalism are becoming ever more contentious as the debate which erupted after the publication of Thilo Sarrazin’s book ‘Deutschland schafft sich ab‛ (Germany Abolishes Itself) clearly illustrates. 75 This debate proved to be very polarising, enraging citizens from both the right and the left of the political spectrum. In this tense environment, the necessity of cultural diplomacy within Germany has augmented drastically - in order to work towards peaceful coexistence between different cultural groups, increased contact and exchange is an absolute necessity; Germans with and without migration backgrounds need more platforms on which to build common experiences and values. The development of such platforms will require a concerted effort to promote cultural diplomacy programmes. But what exactly is ‘cultural diplomacy‛? This is a complex question to answer as the words making up the expression, ‘cultural‛ and ‘diplomacy‛, both are inherently difficult to define, in a universal context. What is counted as cultural is truly contentious and diplomacy can also be interpreted to mean many different things. Bearing these problems in mind, the report decided to use a rather broad definition given by political scientist Milton C. Cummings which is also officially used by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. He understands cultural diplomacy as: ‘the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding‛ 76 This definition takes the focus away from what can be called traditional cultural diplomacy, which is limited to nation branding and advertising one’s country abroad. Instead, it emphasizes the facilitation and initiation of cultural exchange, the goal of which is not necessarily to construct a perfect national brand, but rather to increase intercultural knowledge and thereby intercultural understanding. However, the term ‚cultural diplomacy‛ is not one frequently used in the academic and popular discourse in Germany. In fact, the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy is the only non- governmental organisation (NGO) in Germany to focus on this field. Contrary to other countries, the concept of cultural diplomacy is not utilized in the German public or private sector. For example, in the United States, cultural diplomacy is a part of the academic vocabulary and also used by the United States State Department. The absence of the term ‘cultural diplomacy’ in German is further illustrated by a quick search with commonly used search engines. There are almost no hits for the term not coming from the homepage of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. Yet ‚cultural diplomacy‛ could play an important role as an umbrella term in the discourse of cultural exchange and the building of increased understanding between cultures. Currently, there are many initiatives that aim to achieve the above, but these efforts are fragmented as they are not recognized as part of the same effort. The goal of this report is to research whether cultural diplomacy is exercised in Germany although the term is not a part of German vocabulary, and to outline which organisations engage in activities that could be defined as cultural diplomacy. Finally, the report aims to promote the concept of cultural diplomacy in the academic and popular discourse through its findings and insights. In the following section, we will define relevant terms and discuss the methodology used for selecting the programmes. This will be followed by an overview of cultural diplomacy in Germany before and since the Second World War. We will then
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Country Profiles: Germany - Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

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