Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on New Trends in Social Sciences
Year: 2026
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Cultural Diplomacy and the Reconfiguration of Global Order
Monica Gheorghita, Mircea Radulescu
ABSTRACT:
This paper analyses cultural diplomacy as a strategic instrument through which Global South actors actively participate in the reconfiguration of the global order. In a context marked by multipolarity, contested norms, and post-Western power diffusion, cultural diplomacy emerges both as an extension of soft power, and as a mechanism for asserting agency, redefining legitimacy, and renegotiating asymmetrical structures of influence in international relations.
Methodologically, the article employs a qualitative comparative design, combining discourse analysis of policy frameworks, strategic narratives, and official cultural diplomacy initiatives with in-depth case studies drawn from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. The analytical approach integrates perspectives from international relations theory, public diplomacy, and global governance, with particular emphasis on narrative sovereignty, identity construction, and South-South and triangular cooperation models. The cases considered include state-led cultural diplomacy strategies, regional and multilateral platforms, and hybrid arrangements involving non-state and diasporic actors.
The findings demonstrate that Global South cultural diplomacy increasingly functions as a site of strategic contestation and innovation, enabling actors to challenge dominant frameworks, diversify international partnerships, and project alternative visions of development and global cooperation. Results further reveal a shift from emulative soft power models toward context-specific, historically grounded, and relational approaches to cultural engagement.
The paper concludes that cultural diplomacy contributes substantively to global order reconfiguration by expanding the plurality of norms, narratives, and institutional practices shaping international cooperation.
Strategically empowered cultural diplomacy enables Global South actors to convert cultural assets into durable influence and greater autonomy within an evolving multipolar system.
Keywords: Multipolarity; Narrative agency; Postcolonial perspectives; Soft power; South–South cooperation