"Real Men" and Diplomats: Intercultural Diplomatic Negotiation and Masculinities in China and the United States

Abstract

This paper develops a social identity approach to diplomatic negotiations that links research on gender and culture in negotiations by treating gender as an analytic category. By critically interrogating literature on diplomacy, negotiation, and masculinity in China and the United States and comparing hegemonic forms of masculinity and other “ideal type” gender and negotiator models, this suggests that in each culture: (1) dominant negotiating styles (generally integrative—“win–win”—or distributive—“win–lose”) parallel dominant ideal typical males, (2) informal negotiating styles (reliance on personal relationships) parallel subordinate ideal typical females, and (3) creative negotiating tactics are possible by code-switching (changing relationship type and strategy style), or creatively reinterpreting existing models to address negotiation goals. This paper seeks to contribute to the literature by linking previously separate but related subfields (“gender and negotiation” and “culture and negotiation” research), adding to existing research frameworks, and creating the opportunity for improved international diplomacy.