Unpacking Indonesia's Cultural Diplomacy: Potentials and Challenges

Abstract

Cultural diplomacy is an influential element of soft power. The concept covers a wide range of activities that aim to promote national interests through strengthening relationships and enhancing sociocultural cooperation among countries. Cultural diplomacy is built upon the culture, identity, and values of the country. As government apparatuses often activate cultural diplomacy, it is civil society that plays the most prominent role. This study takes Indonesia`s diplomacy as a case study to highlight the importance of cultural diplomacy as a soft power instrument. The study seeks to identify the challenges in the creation of a grand narrative of Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy. Finally, the study argues that in the age of globalization in which the world is moving toward a global culture, Indonesia`s cultural diplomacy concept that is rotating around its unique culture, identity and values needs to be reassessed to not only contain unique Indonesian cultural products, but also contain the spirit of the culture, values, and traditions of the Indonesian people who have sustained the unity of Indonesia. Keywords: Cultural Diplomacy; Soft Power; Indonesia *