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France's Public and Cultural Diplomacy and Its Impact on The World

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 France’s Public and Cultural Diplomacy and Its Impact on The
World
Dewandaru Surya Pamungkas
Department of IR, Class of J, Univesitas Muhammadiyah Yogtakarta, Indonesia

Abstract
Many actors and ways have been involved in the continuation of France’s public and cultural
diplomacy. Position of Cultural Diplomacy Analysis Francophonie Organization France’s
public and cultural diplomacy actors are varied. France’s diplomacy especially in cultural
diplomacy has a long history since the 15th century. Culture as the primary instrument of public
and cultural diplomacy in France affects how the world sees France. The effect of France’s
public and cultural diplomacy make France’s language become the international language. The
involvement of diplomacy especially soft power diplomacy plays role in achieving France’s
influence in the world.

Keywords: Diplomacy, Soft Power, Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy, International

Relations

Preface
Diplomacy is something crucial to discuss in international relations. Many aspects of life are
determined by diplomacy such as how the influence of other state cultures can affect other
states which directly impacts other states’ people. Diplomacy is the methods used by states to
express, coordinate, and protect specific or general interests through their formal and other
representatives, as well as other players, through letters, in-person meetings, viewpoint
exchanges, lobbying, site visits, threats, and other related activities (Barston, 2019). Diplomacy
contains several powers, such as hard power, soft power, smart power, and sharp power. The
power in diplomacy indicates how diplomacy is carried out. Hard power in diplomacy has a
coercive act such as forces, sanctions, rewards, and other instruments. While soft power has a
peaceful act to carry out diplomacies such as culture, value, foreign policy, and many others.
Smart power is an infusion of hard power and soft power which means smart power uses both
powers as American propaganda in Iraq uses the slogan terrorist is our common enemy and at
the same time, the slogan that The United States influenced the global perspective about the
common enemy. The 9/11 tragedy fulfilled the requirement of the propaganda that the Iraqi
rebellion or Al-Qaeda was the scapegoat of the tragedy of 9/11. Before the tragedy of 9/11, the
Iraqi rebellion was announced against US intervention in Iraqi oil. Because of the US
propaganda, the world against Al-Qaeda and the mission to attack Al-Qaeda in full power could

1
happen. An approach to international affairs known as sharp power frequently included
censorship measures or the use of manipulation to undermine the independence of independent
institutions. Sharp power is often used by authoritarian states, with this strategy, authoritarian
regimes can restrict free speech and stifle political environments in democracies while
simultaneously protecting their own domestic public spaces from democratic appeals coming
from abroad. This strategy takes advantage of the asymmetry between free and unfree
systems(Walker, 2018).

Public and cultural diplomacy is included in soft power. It means public and cultural diplomacy
does not use a coercive act but use a peaceful act in conducting diplomacy. France’s diplomacy
especially in cultural diplomacy has a long history since the 15th century. France’s diplomacy
was changed through the ages from theater diplomacy to classical music. The influence of
French culture has been rooted in many states’ aspects such as food, language, art, and many
others. France’s public diplomacy had been also influencing the world with its public
diplomacy programs such as foreign policy analysis, marketing, public relations, international
communications, and their practitioners

Public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy seemed to have similar meanings. However, both
public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy are not identical because public diplomacy is the
main idea in one of soft power. While cultural diplomacy is a subset of public diplomacy.
Cultural diplomacy’s position in the theories of international relation diplomacy of soft power
is within the boundaries of public diplomacy (see figure)(Kim, 2017).

Figure. Position of Cultural Diplomacy

2
Analysis
Francophonie Organization

France’s public and cultural diplomacy actors are varied. An example of the actor in spreading
and using public and cultural diplomacy is Francophonie. Francophonie is an international
organization that has the mission to promote the French language and cultural and linguistic
diversity, promote peace, democracy, and human rights, support education, training, higher
education, and research, and foster economic cooperation to bolster sustainable development.

One of the main pillars of France's influence and reputation around the world is thought to be
the widespread use and spread of the French language. With 275 million speakers worldwide,
according to the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF), French is the fifth most
spoken language. 84 nations were either members or observers of the organization in 2016.
The French Foreign Ministry has overseen and promoted Francophonie at the country's highest
political level, which is the Elysée Palace. This approach prioritizes Francophone summits at
the ministerial, head of state, and government levels, among other axes or principles. A
Francophonie meeting has been held every two years since 1986. In a similar vein, there has
been the development of professional institutions or occasions for the Francophone
community, such as the French Language World Forum, the Women's Conference of the
Francophonie, and the Francophonie Games (1989). There is a strong desire to use language
policies to create more political communities and to support the diversity of cultures and
lifestyles, especially since the Francophone summit in Hanoi (1997) (for example, Emmanuel
Macron paid homage to "the Europe of the Cafés" in 2017 in Frankfurt, Germany). Finally,
media and newspapers that speak French receive a lot of assistance. In 1990, a special initiative
was established that provided funding for the publication of 8,000 books over a 25-year period
(Snow & Cull, 2020).

Francophonie is anticipated to improve France's reputation and aid in gaining political support
abroad. There are various obstacles. First, there are now more financial restrictions than ever
before. Second, the employment of the Francophonie as a diplomatic tool to engage various
audiences is influenced by global political developments: Thailand was suspended in 2014, and
Algeria has refused to join the OIF. Third, the Francophonie is not exclusively French and is
not intended to advance Paris's foreign policy objectives. Fourth, it is unclear if promoting
Francophonie or fostering influence diplomacy in English is more effective in a world where
English is the dominant language. Finally, an empirical perspective must be applied to the

3
optimistic estimates presented by the OIF. The majority of the 84 members of the Francophone
Club only speak it anecdotally. French-speaking social networks abroad are disappearing the
competition from other foreign educational systems hurts French schools. The majority of
discussions currently take place in English, even if French is still the official diplomatic
language of the United Nations (UN) or the European Union (EU). In a few diplomatic
academies, the French language no longer must follow strict rules.

Cultural Diplomacy

The main actor of cultural diplomacy based on the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is
the Instituts Français. The Alliances are locally based organizations that are legally
independent, as opposed to the Instituts Français, which are directly related to the cooperation
and cultural activity services of French embassies. Their primary goals are to advance French
language learning and usage, the diffusion of French and Francophone culture, and the
promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding. The French Ministry of Culture and the
Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) jointly oversee the operations of the Institut
Français. It encourages artistic collaboration and intercultural communication while promoting
French culture overseas.

Other state agencies supporting French cultural action are Business France and The Agence
française de développement (AFD). Business France is the national agency for the
internationalization of the French economy is in charge of promoting and welcoming foreign
investment in France, as well as helping businesses expand internationally and increase their
exports. While The Agence française de développement (AFD) is a government organization
that carries out France's foreign and international solidarity and development policies.

In accordance with its strategic aims for soft diplomacy, economic diplomacy, and assistance
for the cultural and creative industries, the MEAE also provides funding to organizations that
are committed to exporting sectors of the arts and culture. The Ministry provides financial
assistance to some exporters of motion pictures, audiovisual works, books, music, and
architectural works. Some of the organizations are:

1. The Unifrance association

an organization in charge of distributing French audiovisual content globally.
2. The Centre National de la Musique (CNM)

4
 a government organization established in January 2020 and overseen by the French
Ministry of Culture. It helps and supports musicians, composers, authors, and other
creatives in order to expose them to audiences both domestically and overseas.
3. The International Bureau of French Publishers (BIEF)
a group that works to promote French publishing internationally. Its three major tasks
are following and evaluating national publishing markets, connecting with other
publishers globally, and promoting French publishing at trade shows abroad.
4. French Overseas Architects (AFEX)
the industry standard for promoting and exporting French architecture internationally.
More than 5,000 architects and urban planners are represented and supported by it.

France’s public and cultural diplomacy not only come from those organizations and institutions
but also from the history of France. As we know that France was one of the main colonial states
back then. The influence of colonialization has also played role in public and cultural
diplomacy. The culture and language of French derived into colonialized states such as Congo,
Cameroon, Côte, d'Ivoire, and the others colonialized states. The activities of France’s public
and cultural diplomacy are varied. Many actors and ways have been involved in the
continuation of France’s public and cultural diplomacy.

France’s public and cultural diplomacy affects the world in many ways. For example, according
to statistics & data in 2022, the French language becomes the 5th most spoken language in the
world. The Instituts Français plays role in spreading the French language and it means the
mission of France’s public and cultural diplomacy succeeds. The other example of the
influence of France’s public and cultural diplomacy is how the world sees France as the country
of shopping, love, fashion mode, and fancy food indicates France’s public and cultural
diplomacy succeeds in affecting the world.

Conclusions
Many aspects of life are determined by diplomacy such as how the influence of other state
cultures can affect other states which directly impacts other states’ people. Because of the US
propaganda, the world against Al-Qaeda and the mission to attack Al-Qaeda in full power could
happen. It means public and cultural diplomacy does not use a coercive act but use a peaceful
act in conducting diplomacy. France’s diplomacy especially in cultural diplomacy has a long
history since the 15th century. Public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy seemed to have similar
meanings. However, both public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy are not identical because
public diplomacy is the main idea in one of soft power. Position of Cultural Diplomacy.

5
France’s public and cultural diplomacy actors are varied. An example of the actor in spreading
and using public and cultural diplomacy is Francophonie. One of the main pillars of France's
influence and reputation around the world is thought to be the widespread use and spread of
the French language. Third, the Francophonie is not exclusively French and is not intended to
advance Paris's foreign policy objectives. The majority of the 84 members of the Francophone
Club only speak it anecdotally. The main actor of cultural diplomacy based on the Ministry for
Europe and Foreign Affairs is the Instituts Français. The French Ministry of Culture and the
Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) jointly oversee the operations of the Institut
Français. Business France is the national agency for the internationalization of the French
economy is in charge of promoting and welcoming foreign investment in France, as well as
helping businesses expand internationally and increase their exports. The Ministry provides
financial assistance to some exporters of motion pictures, audiovisual works, books, music,
and architectural works. Some of the organizations are: a government organization established
in January 2020 and overseen by the French Ministry of Culture. a group that works to promote
French publishing internationally. the industry standard for promoting and exporting French
architecture internationally. The culture and language of French derived into colonialized states
such as Congo, Cameroon, Côte, d'Ivoire, and the others colonialized states. The activities of
France’s public and cultural diplomacy are varied. France’s public and cultural diplomacy
affects the world in many ways.

Bibliography

Barston, R. P. (2019). Modern diplomacy. taylorfrancis.com.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351270090
Kim, H. (2017). Bridging the theoretical gap between public diplomacy and cultural
diplomacy. The Korean Journal of International Studies.
https://doi.org/10.14731/kjis.2017.08.15.2.293
Snow, N., & Cull, N. J. (2020). Routledge handbook of public diplomacy. books.google.com.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=PTDLDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1
&dq=routledge+handbook+of+public+diplomacy&ots=aacHQeRhU6&sig=iVdEh_mR
TO-_r7a1gCSaOpqouzg
Walker, C. (2018). What Is" Sharp Power"? Journal of Democracy.
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from https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/cultural-diplomacy/

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 The most spoken languages 2022. Home page - English - Statistics and Data. (2021, December
26). Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://statisticsanddata.org/data/the-most-spoken-
languages-2022/
Portail de l'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Organisation
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https://www.francophonie.org/francophonie-brief-1763

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