Home Engagement in Diplomacy: Global Affairs and Domestic Publics (NEW BOOK)

What is it about?

In the introduction of this book, we explain that it is about the interdependence and dialogue between governmental diplomacy and the societies it serves. Diplomatic work is meant to benefit society and the national economy, but the state–society relationship is a two-way street, grounded in the principle of mutuality. Sub-state actors, social movements, and - the focus of this study - individuals in society have the potential to affect the practice of diplomacy. Citizen agency impacts on diplomacy itself. We call this dynamic ‘home engagement’, referring to the direct interaction between diplomacy and people in domestic society rather than to non-state actors representing them.

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Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash

Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The domestic dimensions of diplomatic practice deserve more scholarly attention. Students of diplomacy would do well to reflect on the trend of foreign policy-related concerns increasingly engaging with society. This proposition implies that diplomacy should be seen as an activity on the cusp of the society of states and global society, involving not only professional diplomats but also a wider circle of practitioners and ‘ordinary’ people who are outsiders, stakeholders, or participants in the diplomatic process. This volume, therefore, reflects an appetite for more research on the marginal practices of diplomacy, thus acting on the scholarly hunch that a better understanding of what appears peripheral in diplomacy matters. We even speculate, audaciously, that a better grasp of practice on the boundaries of the diplomatic world may help us to see part of the outline of future mainstream practices.

Perspectives