What is it about?
We propose the notion of ‘home engagement’ to highlight the mutual relationship between diplomacy and the domestic publics, focusing on the agency of citizens as stakeholders in foreign policy. By critiquing the historical neglect of state–society interactions in international relations (IR) theory, foreign policy analysis, and diplomatic studies, we argue that this oversight has sustained an elite-dominated view of diplomacy, marginalising citizens’ roles in domestic and international contexts. The concept of the accelerated societisation of diplomacy illustrates our take on a more integrative view of contemporary diplomatic practice. With a grounding in democracy theories, particularly deliberative and participatory frameworks, we demonstrate how these models can inform and transform diplomatic practices. Globalisation, crises and the rise of populism have heightened public interest in foreign policy outcomes, requiring new methods that recognise citizen agency and adapt to changing sociopolitical complexities. The chapter positions home engagement as a critical area of scholarly focus, advocating for a research agenda that bridges the gaps between diplomacy, governance and societal dynamics. Drawing from interdisciplinary perspectives, we underscore the potential of home engagement to describe diplomacy as a process co-constituted by citizens. This reframing calls for a more inclusive framework for understanding and practising diplomacy, reflecting the centrality of state–society interactions.
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Why is it important?
Intense public interest and controversy about the Gaza massacre, the consequences of war in Ukraine, migration, climate change, and rising authoritarianism illustrate how citizens have become crucial stakeholders in international affairs. This chapter and the book *Home Engagement in Diplomacy: Global Affairs and Domestic Publics* are about the emergence of non-mediated diplomatic interaction with domestic society. We argue that state-society relations and the emerging home dimension of diplomatic practice deserve inclusion in the canon of diplomatic studies.
Perspectives
This is the lead chapter of a book in which a team of authors from Europe, the Americas, and Asia interrogates the diverse challenges and approaches to diplomatic interaction with domestic society. Our project is the first systematic effort to address this important omission in the received wisdom on diplomacy.
Jan Melissen
Leiden University and University of Antwerp
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Theorising and Debating the Domestic Deficit in ir and Diplomatic Studies, February 2026, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004738324_003.
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