French Cultural Diplomacy: Strategies to Support the Export of Culture through Books

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Tehran University

2 Department of Information Sciences and Knowledge Studies Department, Management Faculty,, University of Tehran

3 The School of International Relations, Ministry of foreign affairs

Abstract

A glance at French Republic’s foreign policy proves that in the eyes of its various government, culture and cultural diplomacy had been of paramount importance. As a cultural industry that addresses an international audience, book publishing had been counted as one of the primary tool for French assimilation and influence in other countries. The publishing industries is one of the leading cultural industries in French export portfolio. Publisher’s performance plays an important role in exposition and instilling of French culture abroad. Within the framework of executive and strategic programs driven by cultural diplomacy, French cultural centers and networks support the publishing industry by supporting translation of French titles and promoting visits by francophone authors abroad. In the eyes of publishing policy-makers in France, authors are the major carriers of the French ideological and cultural influence. By adopting a descriptive, historical approach the present paper endeavors to answer how the French government had attempted to bolster its cultural diplomacy in Francophone African Nations through book exports. It further posits that through such exports as one of the main sources of soft power within the realm of cultural diplomacy, the French government sustains its hegemony over these countries by attracting audience and communicating its culture, literature and arts as a way of affirming its positive image.

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