The COVID-19 pandemic caused severe disruptions to the global economy, world trade, and all kinds of international relations. The panel aims to discuss both theoretical and practical issues of public diplomacy in post-COVID world. Since public diplomacy is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field, the panel seeks to bring together scholars’ investigating topics related to public diplomacy, nation branding, country image and reputation, public relations, global and intercultural communication that influences international relations. It seeks to gather all perspectives, research methods, methodological approaches, theories including critical approaches, and to encourage dialogue and debate on these growing interdisciplinary topics. The panel also intends to track and analyse the challenges and the role played by national public diplomacies in terms of meeting the challenges of countries’ foreign policies agendas in the 21st century.
However, the IPSA 2023 conference theme, “Politics in the Age of Transboundary Crises”, suggests to focus on topics related to political effects of transboundary relations. The pandemic seemed to reshape the global public’s perspective of state-centric public diplomacy in a way that prioritizes the shared connection of humanity and a humanity-centered public diplomacy. We invite contributions that examine how COVID-19 influences public diplomacy practices all around the world to explore the gaps of where public diplomacy is and public diplomacy’s new mandate for collaborative problem solving for the global good.
Scholars may deal with a variety of issues including, but not limited to:
• Soft Power Studies
• Models and Effects of Public Diplomacy
• Digital Diplomacy: Discourse of Global and Local Policies
• Public Diplomacy or Public Glocalization
• Public Diplomacy Practices for Public Opinion Management
• Mass Media, Public Relations and International Communication Campaigns
• Crisis Public Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
• Cultural and Sport Diplomacy: Communication Strategies
• Global Cities and Country Branding
• Public Diplomacy and Independent Expert Appraisal
• Youth Initiatives in Public Diplomacy
• Women’s Voice in Public Diplomacy
• Modelling of the post-COVID world order
