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The rise and fall of Confucius Institutes: A comparative narrative analysis of closures of Confucius Institutes in Scandinavia and in the US

Wiberg, Agnes LU (2020) STVM25 20201
Department of Political Science
Abstract
China has used different tools to expand their economic, political, and cultural influence in the world. One example is the establishment of Confucius Institutes, a phenomenon often viewed as a “soft power instrument” of China. In recent years, several of these Confucius Institutes have closed down in the West. This thesis explores public legitimations for closing institutes in the US and in two Scandinavian countries, through a narrative analysis paired with a rhetorical constructivist approach. Two theoretical hypotheses are formulated, based on the theories of Realism and Social constructivism of International relations, which in turn are applied and analysed on the empirical material accessible to the public such as university... (More)
China has used different tools to expand their economic, political, and cultural influence in the world. One example is the establishment of Confucius Institutes, a phenomenon often viewed as a “soft power instrument” of China. In recent years, several of these Confucius Institutes have closed down in the West. This thesis explores public legitimations for closing institutes in the US and in two Scandinavian countries, through a narrative analysis paired with a rhetorical constructivist approach. Two theoretical hypotheses are formulated, based on the theories of Realism and Social constructivism of International relations, which in turn are applied and analysed on the empirical material accessible to the public such as university websites, press releases, media articles, political debates and statements. The analysis shows different patterns of legitimations in Scandinavia and in the US. In the former, closures are linked to the university organization as well as concerns over democracy and oppression of human rights. In the latter, the legitimations are mainly linked to the university organization, as well as to national security concerns over espionage and intellectual property theft. The conclusion of the thesis is thus that there are different public legitimations used in the US and in Scandinavia. (Less)
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author
Wiberg, Agnes LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM25 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
China threat, Confucius Institutes, US, Scandinavia, Narratives
language
English
id
9009717
date added to LUP
2020-08-14 12:33:58
date last changed
2021-04-15 15:08:59
@misc{9009717,
  abstract     = {{China has used different tools to expand their economic, political, and cultural influence in the world. One example is the establishment of Confucius Institutes, a phenomenon often viewed as a “soft power instrument” of China. In recent years, several of these Confucius Institutes have closed down in the West. This thesis explores public legitimations for closing institutes in the US and in two Scandinavian countries, through a narrative analysis paired with a rhetorical constructivist approach. Two theoretical hypotheses are formulated, based on the theories of Realism and Social constructivism of International relations, which in turn are applied and analysed on the empirical material accessible to the public such as university websites, press releases, media articles, political debates and statements. The analysis shows different patterns of legitimations in Scandinavia and in the US. In the former, closures are linked to the university organization as well as concerns over democracy and oppression of human rights. In the latter, the legitimations are mainly linked to the university organization, as well as to national security concerns over espionage and intellectual property theft. The conclusion of the thesis is thus that there are different public legitimations used in the US and in Scandinavia.}},
  author       = {{Wiberg, Agnes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The rise and fall of Confucius Institutes: A comparative narrative analysis of closures of Confucius Institutes in Scandinavia and in the US}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}