Canada’s Approach to Idealistic Public Diplomacy: Projecting Values Through Strategic Narratives
(2023) SKOM12 20231Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- In the 21st century, soft power is at the heart of public diplomacy. For political players to exert influence on the global stage, strategic narratives allow for indispensable opportunities to increase foreign support to achieve national and international agendas. This is especially beneficial for small and middle-power states to leverage soft power through public diplomacy initiatives to capture attention and gain influential power beyond hard power resources. This thesis explores Canada's strategic narratives through the formation and projection stages before critically analyzing them in connection to the three interconnected types of system, identity, and issue narratives. This expands academic knowledge of Canada's embedded strategic... (More)
- In the 21st century, soft power is at the heart of public diplomacy. For political players to exert influence on the global stage, strategic narratives allow for indispensable opportunities to increase foreign support to achieve national and international agendas. This is especially beneficial for small and middle-power states to leverage soft power through public diplomacy initiatives to capture attention and gain influential power beyond hard power resources. This thesis explores Canada's strategic narratives through the formation and projection stages before critically analyzing them in connection to the three interconnected types of system, identity, and issue narratives. This expands academic knowledge of Canada's embedded strategic values and the coherency of narratives to increase persuasion. The study analyzes the Global Affairs Canada 2022-23 Departmental Plan and 208 news releases published by Global Affairs Canada through qualitative content analysis to identify the values embedded in the strategic narratives communicated to the public. At the narrative formation stage, Canada's strategic narratives emphasize the nine values communicated through four narratives of identity, leadership, international engagement, and protection of Canadians. For the narrative projection stage, the news releases incorporated the values in the narratives of the defender and protector role, using funding as support and implementing sanctions to ensure the restoration of security. The study alludes that Canada's strategic narratives coherently property the core values rooted in soft power elements deployed in government material intended to promote Canada's image as a global leader within its core values, despite the potential tension of cultural imperialism regarding values. By placing Canada, a middle power, in the broader academic discussion of public diplomacy, this thesis contributes to understanding how middle-power states leverage values-based strategic narratives to the international system through strategic communication efforts to advance the country's interests and global agenda. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9129373
- author
- Voicu, Nicoleta LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOM12 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Strategic Communication, Public Diplomacy, Canada, Strategic Narratives, Values, Soft Power
- language
- English
- id
- 9129373
- date added to LUP
- 2023-06-29 14:31:09
- date last changed
- 2023-06-29 14:31:21
@misc{9129373,
abstract = {{In the 21st century, soft power is at the heart of public diplomacy. For political players to exert influence on the global stage, strategic narratives allow for indispensable opportunities to increase foreign support to achieve national and international agendas. This is especially beneficial for small and middle-power states to leverage soft power through public diplomacy initiatives to capture attention and gain influential power beyond hard power resources. This thesis explores Canada's strategic narratives through the formation and projection stages before critically analyzing them in connection to the three interconnected types of system, identity, and issue narratives. This expands academic knowledge of Canada's embedded strategic values and the coherency of narratives to increase persuasion. The study analyzes the Global Affairs Canada 2022-23 Departmental Plan and 208 news releases published by Global Affairs Canada through qualitative content analysis to identify the values embedded in the strategic narratives communicated to the public. At the narrative formation stage, Canada's strategic narratives emphasize the nine values communicated through four narratives of identity, leadership, international engagement, and protection of Canadians. For the narrative projection stage, the news releases incorporated the values in the narratives of the defender and protector role, using funding as support and implementing sanctions to ensure the restoration of security. The study alludes that Canada's strategic narratives coherently property the core values rooted in soft power elements deployed in government material intended to promote Canada's image as a global leader within its core values, despite the potential tension of cultural imperialism regarding values. By placing Canada, a middle power, in the broader academic discussion of public diplomacy, this thesis contributes to understanding how middle-power states leverage values-based strategic narratives to the international system through strategic communication efforts to advance the country's interests and global agenda.}},
author = {{Voicu, Nicoleta}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Canada’s Approach to Idealistic Public Diplomacy: Projecting Values Through Strategic Narratives}},
year = {{2023}},
}