Cultural Diplomacy’s Challenges

Rethinking Them Through Knowledge Brokering

Bibliographic Data

ID21637014
AuthorsBiyun Zhu (0000-0002-2587-296X, The University of Manchester, corresponding author), Charlotte Faucher (0000-0002-3928-6857, University of Bristol)
Year2026
Volume56
Issue2
Pages136-152
Publication date2026-03-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Arts Management Law and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1063-2921 • E-ISSN: 1930-7799
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10632921.2025.2568847
OpenAlexW4415683081
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited29

This article examines why cultural diplomacy (CD) encounters operational, contextual, and relational challenges including resource misalignment, cultural difference, bureaucratic constraint, and limited mobility, and identifies gaps in knowledge flows across national, institutional, and organizational boundaries as a central mechanism. We develop a knowledge-brokering (KB) informed framework and apply thematic analysis to purposively sampled interviews, an exploratory questionnaire, and deliberations from an online symposium and focus-group discussions with UK cultural organizations in the post-Brexit/post-pandemic period. Findings indicate that cross-boundary brokering is patchy, knowledge is “sticky” at organizational interfaces, and evaluation practices remain ad hoc. We theorize KB as a linking function between intent, design, and implementation, operating as both a preventive and a coping mechanism. We then outline implications for coordination, learning, and accountability

Traditional knowledge · Diverse Musicological Studies · International Student and Expatriate Challenges · Public Relations and Crisis Communication

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