Making foreign policy matter : A discursive analysis of the strategic communication of Sweden’s feminist foreign policy
(2024) In Lund Studies in Media and Communication- Abstract
- This dissertation examines strategic communication of foreign policy as a dynamic process, in which a variety of actors are involved. To achieve this, foreign policy is conceptualized as a discourse that is co-produced by the government, public diplomacy practitioners, and publics in different communication settings. The thesis argues that in these practices of co-production, power flows in and from different directions. Thus, it provides a critical examination of what happens with foreign policy in communication and how communication impacts policy. The thesis employs an overarching discourse approach, which is elaborated into the theoretical concepts of legitimation, discursive closure, counter and brand publics, and applied discourse... (More)
- This dissertation examines strategic communication of foreign policy as a dynamic process, in which a variety of actors are involved. To achieve this, foreign policy is conceptualized as a discourse that is co-produced by the government, public diplomacy practitioners, and publics in different communication settings. The thesis argues that in these practices of co-production, power flows in and from different directions. Thus, it provides a critical examination of what happens with foreign policy in communication and how communication impacts policy. The thesis employs an overarching discourse approach, which is elaborated into the theoretical concepts of legitimation, discursive closure, counter and brand publics, and applied discourse theory in four papers. The papers compiling the thesis focus on government’s legitimation practices; public diplomacy practitioners’ meaning construction of ambiguous foreign policy; formation practices of unintended publics in the digital sphere; and practitioners’ and government’s discursive (re-)negotiation of foreign policy change. The thesis builds on empirical material from Sweden’s feminist foreign policy context, which was collected in interviews with public diplomacy practitioners, texts in the form of policy documents and statements of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and debates on the digital platform Reddit. Overall, the thesis shows the complex
discursive constructions and negotiations involved in the strategic communication of foreign policy.
Feminist foreign policy discourse is co-produced differently by different actors: The government
constructs the policy as a unique selling point, public diplomacy practitioners construct it as a depoliticized asset that can be downplayed, and publics construct it as a contrastable position. Publics are actively involved in strategic communication, albeit in unforeseeable ways. Thus, the control of state actors is limited. Practitioners are guided by the (imagined) perception of publics in making foreign policy meaningful for these, which results in downplaying the disruptive potential of foreign policy. The underlying logic is the attention economy, which leads strategic communication to structure international relations in a consumer-oriented way. In consequence, frictions between international politics and strategic communication can emerge. The thesis contributes to research mainly in the fields of strategic communication and public diplomacy, but also to the fields of international relations and diplomacy. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Denna sammanläggningsavhandling undersöker strategisk kommunikation av utrikespolitik som en dynamisk process, där en rad olika aktörer är inblandade. Utrikespolitik konceptualiseras som en diskurs som samproduceras av statliga aktörer, praktiker inom offentlig diplomati och publiker i olika kommunikationsmiljöer. I avhandlingen argumenteras för att makten i dessa samproduktionspraktiker flödar i flera olika riktningar och från olika aktörer. Avhandlingen bidrar således med ett kritiskt perspektiv på hur utrikespolitik förändras genom kommunikation och hur kommunikation påverkar politik. I avhandlingen används en övergripande diskursansats, som i fyra artiklar utvecklas till de teoretiska begreppen legitimering, discoursive closure,... (More)
- Denna sammanläggningsavhandling undersöker strategisk kommunikation av utrikespolitik som en dynamisk process, där en rad olika aktörer är inblandade. Utrikespolitik konceptualiseras som en diskurs som samproduceras av statliga aktörer, praktiker inom offentlig diplomati och publiker i olika kommunikationsmiljöer. I avhandlingen argumenteras för att makten i dessa samproduktionspraktiker flödar i flera olika riktningar och från olika aktörer. Avhandlingen bidrar således med ett kritiskt perspektiv på hur utrikespolitik förändras genom kommunikation och hur kommunikation påverkar politik. I avhandlingen används en övergripande diskursansats, som i fyra artiklar utvecklas till de teoretiska begreppen legitimering, discoursive closure, counter- och brand publics samt tillämpad diskursteori. De fyra artiklarna fokuserar på regeringens legitimeringspraktiker; praktikers meningskonstruktion av en tvetydig utrikespolitik i offentlig diplomati; skapandet av oavsiktliga publiker i den digitala sfären; samt praktikers och regeringens diskursiva (om)förhandling av utrikespolitiska förändringar. Avhandlingen bygger på empiriskt material från Sveriges feministiska utrikespolitiska kontext, insamlat genom intervjuer med yrkesverksamma inom offentlig diplomati, texter i form av policydokument och utrikesministerns uttalanden, samt debatter på den digitala plattformen Reddit. Sammantaget visar avhandlingen på de komplexa diskursiva konstruktioner och förhandlingar som är involverade i den strategiska kommunikationen av utrikespolitik. Den feministiska utrikespolitiska diskursen samproduceras på olika sätt av olika aktörer: Regeringen konstruerar den feministiska utrikespolitiken som ett unikt försäljningsargument, praktiker inom offentlig diplomati konstruerar den som en avpolitiserad resurs som kan tonas ned, och publiker konstruerar den som en kontrasterbar position. Publiker är aktivt involverad i strategisk kommunikation, om än på oförutsägbara sätt. De statliga aktörernas kontroll är således begränsad. Praktiker vägleds av publikers (föreställda) uppfattningar när de gör utrikespolitiken meningsfull för dem genom kommunikation, vilket ofta leder till att utrikespolitikens disruptiva potential tonas ned. Den underliggande logiken är uppmärksamhetsekonomin, som gör att strategisk kommunikation tenderar att strukturera internationella relationer på ett konsumentorienterat sätt. Följaktligen kan friktioner uppstå mellan internationell politik och strategisk kommunikation. Avhandlingen bidrar till forskning inom främst strategisk kommunikation och offentlig diplomati, men även till områdena internationella relationer och diplomati. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/c83f04bd-2987-4ee8-8091-13eb2d2691ce
- author
- Karlsson, Isabelle LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Snow, Nancy, California State University
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-12
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- strategic communication, public diplomacy, nation branding, foreign policy, foreign policy discourse, feminist foreign policy, Sweden
- in
- Lund Studies in Media and Communication
- issue
- 29
- pages
- 86 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- U202, Campus Helsingborg, Universitetsplatsen 2
- defense date
- 2024-01-24 14:00:00
- ISSN
- 1104-4330
- ISBN
- 978-91-8104-303-7
- 978-91-8104-302-0
- project
- Making foreign policy matter: A discursive analysis of the strategic communication of Sweden’s feminist foreign policy
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c83f04bd-2987-4ee8-8091-13eb2d2691ce
- date added to LUP
- 2024-12-02 11:23:07
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 15:29:14
@phdthesis{c83f04bd-2987-4ee8-8091-13eb2d2691ce,
abstract = {{This dissertation examines strategic communication of foreign policy as a dynamic process, in which a variety of actors are involved. To achieve this, foreign policy is conceptualized as a discourse that is co-produced by the government, public diplomacy practitioners, and publics in different communication settings. The thesis argues that in these practices of co-production, power flows in and from different directions. Thus, it provides a critical examination of what happens with foreign policy in communication and how communication impacts policy. The thesis employs an overarching discourse approach, which is elaborated into the theoretical concepts of legitimation, discursive closure, counter and brand publics, and applied discourse theory in four papers. The papers compiling the thesis focus on government’s legitimation practices; public diplomacy practitioners’ meaning construction of ambiguous foreign policy; formation practices of unintended publics in the digital sphere; and practitioners’ and government’s discursive (re-)negotiation of foreign policy change. The thesis builds on empirical material from Sweden’s feminist foreign policy context, which was collected in interviews with public diplomacy practitioners, texts in the form of policy documents and statements of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and debates on the digital platform Reddit. Overall, the thesis shows the complex<br/>discursive constructions and negotiations involved in the strategic communication of foreign policy.<br/>Feminist foreign policy discourse is co-produced differently by different actors: The government<br/>constructs the policy as a unique selling point, public diplomacy practitioners construct it as a depoliticized asset that can be downplayed, and publics construct it as a contrastable position. Publics are actively involved in strategic communication, albeit in unforeseeable ways. Thus, the control of state actors is limited. Practitioners are guided by the (imagined) perception of publics in making foreign policy meaningful for these, which results in downplaying the disruptive potential of foreign policy. The underlying logic is the attention economy, which leads strategic communication to structure international relations in a consumer-oriented way. In consequence, frictions between international politics and strategic communication can emerge. The thesis contributes to research mainly in the fields of strategic communication and public diplomacy, but also to the fields of international relations and diplomacy.}},
author = {{Karlsson, Isabelle}},
isbn = {{978-91-8104-303-7}},
issn = {{1104-4330}},
keywords = {{strategic communication; public diplomacy; nation branding; foreign policy; foreign policy discourse; feminist foreign policy; Sweden}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{29}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Studies in Media and Communication}},
title = {{Making foreign policy matter : A discursive analysis of the strategic communication of Sweden’s feminist foreign policy}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/201449248/Thesis_Isabelle_Karlsson.pdf}},
year = {{2024}},
}