'Promoting the Nation in Troubled Times Symposium'
20 March 2019
14:00 - 18:00
Graduate House, Angela Marmont Building
Loughborough University, Loughborough
Episodes such as Brexit in the UK, the Trump Presidency in the US, the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and the rise of the Five Star Movement in Italy, have pushed questions about nation and nationalism into the spotlight. A common view among journalists and commentators is that nationalism ‘is back’, largely thanks to populist leaders and movements that have successfully mobilized nationalist passions in order to advance their political agendas. The symposium will consist of a keynote by Melissa Aronczyk followed by a panel including Nadia Kaneva, University of Denver, Fabian Frenzel and Massimo Giovanardi, Leicester University and Paweł Surowiec, Sheffield University.
Whether or not nationalism has ever fully disappeared from the public arena is a matter of debate. Indeed, one could argue that the recent resurgence of nationalist sentiments and rhetoric is part and parcel of a much longer trend. At least since the late 1990s, governments and corporations from all over the world have started developing ‘nation brands’ and using targeted communication strategies to construct and communicate particular versions of national identity in the international arena. These strategies have not always been explicitly associated with nations and nationalism; rather, they appeared under the guise of public and cultural diplomacy, propaganda, or strategic communication. Some of the commentators have questioned the social consequences of these strategies, warning of risks entailed in the restrictive, simplified, commodified versions of national imagination. In contrast, practitioners and advocates of nation branding and public diplomacy have argued that these strategies are not only necessary to maintain competitiveness in a global market, but that they also contribute to peace through a marginalisation of nationalist chauvinism. The current global context requires a fresh look at these issues. Promises that public diplomacy would facilitate dialogue and engagement, and that nation branding was underpinned by a post-political approach, should be re-examined in view of the increasing visibility of polarised expressions of national identity all over the world. This symposium brings together key experts in nation branding and public diplomacy and is part of the theme Nation, organised by the IAS, and is co-sponsored by the ESRC and the School of Business & Economics. The programme includes a keynote from Melissa Aronczyk, Rutgers University.
Further information:
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias/events/
The symposium is open to the public, but you need to book to secure your place:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/promoting-the-nation-in-troubled-times-tickets-55704692234
WORKSHOP
Following on from the International Symposium on 'Promoting the Nation in Troubled Times', an invitation only workshop will take place on 21st March to continue discussions from the previous day.
Confirmed participants include:
Melissa Aronczyk, Rutgers University
Göran Bolin, Södertörn University
Nicholas Cull, USC Annenberg School of Communication
Nadia Kaneva, University of Denver
Ian Somerville, Leicester University
Pawel Surowiec, University of Sheffield
Göran Svensson, Uppsala University
The workshop is by invitation only. To express an interest in attending this event, please contact Dr César Jiménez-Martínez: [log in to unmask]
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