ZHdK Lectures on Global Culture: The “Soft Power” of India and China
In conversation with Michael Schindhelm,Vishakha Desai, Special Advisor for Global Affairs at Columbia University, New York, illustrates the enormous importance of culture for the new super powers India and China. Like in her contribution to the ZHdK Lectures on Global Culture, Desai emphasizes how culture shapes the image of these countries. Special attention is paid to the different strategies pursued by the respective governments as well as to the impact on other countries.
With his book “Soft Power: The Means to Sucess in World Politics” (2004) Joe Nye makes clear that for all nations culture should be considered as an important diplomatic tool. Actually, for many Western countries, cultural diplomacy was a powerful instrument of foreign policy throughout the 2oth century.
Due to the global shift in power in favour of non-western players such as China and India, it is important to have a closer look at their strategies of cultural diplomacy. For example, in 2009 Hu Jin Tao, former President of the People’s Republic of China, admitted that the country was performing poorly in regards of its “Soft Power”. Consequently, China massively invested in culture. In India, in comparison to its cultural impact, there is hardly any effort by the government so far.
The full lecture by Vishakha Desai can be found here.