*CFP* “GENDER DYNAMICS OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND NATION BRANDING”, SPECIAL ISSUE OF JOURNAL OF PLACE BRANDING AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

This special issue aims to bring public diplomacy and nation branding in dialogue with gender, queer and feminist studies. The aim of the special issue is to chart new directions for research and policy interventions by engaging with the gendered dimensions of public diplomacy and nation branding. The editors are particularly interested in exploring how strategic efforts to create and manage favourable images of nation-states relate to the marginalization of ideas, bodies, and identities.

The call for papers follows the growing body of feminist scholarship and gender sensitive perspectives in diplomacy studies (Cassidy, 2017; Aggestam & Towns, 2019), motivated, in part, by a greater inclusion of women, transgender and LGTB diplomats inm Traditionally heteronormative and masculinized foreign service organizations (Aggestam & Bergman- Rosamond, 2016). This issue also recognizes the changing nature of diplomacy in response to the influence of non-state actors, digital technologies and transnational processes of globalization (Pamment, 2012; Zaharna, 2010).

Several studies have pointed to the persistent, but unspoken, gender bias embedded in nation branding and public diplomacy (Rankin, 2012, Jezierska & Towns, 2018). Nevertheless, the marginalisation and subordination of women and non-binary and transgender persons in public diplomacy and nation branding practices and representation is largely understudied.

Because of their radical ambition to challenge dominant social orders, feminist and gender sensitive approaches are well-suited to offer alternative (brand) narratives of nationhood. Moreover, gender analyses constitute fruitful research trajectories to advance critical and inclusive approaches in the field (Rankin, 2012; Kaneva, 2011).

We invite theoretical, empirical, and methodologically diverse contributions that explore the intersections of gender and public diplomacy and/or nation branding. Critical perspectives that scrutinise taken for granted assumptions about gender in relation to public diplomacy and nation branding are particularly encouraged. Transdisciplinary approaches are also encouraged as we acknowledge the complexity of the field and the wide scope of this topic.

The following themes are indicative, but not exhaustive, of this special issue’s focus:

• Feminist standpoints and approaches to public diplomacy and/or nation branding (e.g. feminist foreign policy)
• Gender, transgender, and queer perspectives on nation branding and/or Public diplomacy
• Appropriations of feminism in nation branding and/or public diplomacy
• Market-mediated masculinities and femininities in relation to nation branding and/or public diplomacy
• Feminist activism and nation branding and/or public diplomacy
• Homonationalism in relation to nation branding and/or public diplomacy
• Gendered mediations of nationhood in nation branding/public diplomacy strategies and campaigns
• Progressive vs reactionary nationalisms and branding and/or public diplomacy
• Institutionalized representations of gender in public diplomacy and/or nation branding
• Masculinized vs feminized leadership rhetoric and representations in public diplomacy and/or nation branding
• Historical perspectives on gender dimensions in public diplomacy and/or nation branding

Submission Guidelines

Interested authors should submit a 500-word abstract proposal and a short bio (one paragraph) via email to the two guest editors at: cecilia.cassinger@isk.lu.se and nadia.kaneva@due.du by March 1, 2020.

If selected for further development and submission, articles should be between 5000-7500 words long, including notes and references. Authors who are invited to submit full articles must submit their manuscripts through the Editorial Manager system and should follow the guidelines of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy. All articles will undergo double-blind peer review in accordance with the journal’s policies.

Key Deadlines

Extended abstracts (500 words) and bios are due to the guest editors by March 1, 2020.

Invitations for full papers will be sent in April 2020.

Full paper submissions will be due by October 1, 2020.

Estimated issue publication date: January, 2021.

Contact Details

Please contact the guest editors if you have any questions: Cecilia Cassinger (cecilia.cassinger@isk.lu.se) and Nadia Kaneva (nadia.kaneva@du.edu)