Wish You Were Here...

Greetings from Oaxaca! I arrived last week and have since been making myself comfortable as a citizen diplomat (and despite my failure to produce a perfect definition for that term, I think I can apply it to myself, as I'm participating in both study abroad and home stay programs).

I'm currently staying in the home of an incredibly generous woman in Oaxaca, who has hosted some 70 American and Canadian students in the past. Like many participants in the citizen diplomacy process, I'm not sure she would choose to describe herself that way. She seems less concerned with representing Mexico or Oaxaca than in being a gracious host (a task at which she excels).

To be honest, if it weren't for my interest in public and cultural diplomacy, I doubt I'd describe myself that way either. Trying to think of myself as a representative of my country reminds me of elementary school field trips and teachers ominously warning us that were "representatives of our school" who would be disappointing our entire community should we prove incapable of behaving respectfully at the Kennedy Center.

The fact of the matter is that our relationship is both social, cultural and economic, and the primary way in which we define that relationship is as host and guest. But maybe that's one of the reasons citizen diplomacy is so successful. If it has as its objective the improvement of international relations, its motives are less obvious and therefore less suspicious. That objective becomes secondary to successful interpersonal interactions -- the last three feet.

Citizen Diplomacy -- Revised

The trouble with keeping a blog is that occasionally the pressure to produce a post will lead you to dash off something quickly without fully reflecting on it, and then people who are far smarter than you (and when I say "you," I mean "me"--or, in the interest of grammatical correctness, "I") will read it and point out its shortcomings. Which is exactly what happened to me this morning.

I'd contacted a PD scholar for advice on narrowing the focus of my thesis, and in the course of our conversation he revealed that he'd read my latest blog post and noted that my definition of "citizen diplomacy" was fairly broad, pointing out, "Civil society interaction is not the same as public diplomacy."

Well, this is absolutely true, and the implications are twofold. First, it means that, despite my fervent beliefs to the contrary, I am not 100% right all of the time. This is terribly disappointing. Second, it means that I need to continue refining my definition of "citizen diplomacy." No doubt, I'll have plenty of time to do so in Mexico where I'll have a front row seat to observe lots of international and cross-cultural interactions that may or may not qualify as diplomatic interactions.

And this brings me to another point. My computer access will be limited while I'm abroad, and my manIC productivity is going to be seriously curtailed. But don't despair! You needn't be cut off from the wit and charm you've grown accustomed to seeing on this site! While abroad, I'll be posting semi-regular updates here so you can stay abreast of every thought--from the brilliant insight to the lusterless observation--that my colleagues and I deem fit to share. And as we are all required to participate (is anybody else amused by the concept of mandatory blogging?) I'm sure there will be plenty of fabulous material.

Hasta luego!

The Ugly American

This week the National Council for International Visitors celebrated 50 years of promoting citizen diplomacy.

According to its website "NCIV members design and implement professional programs, provide cultural activities, and offer home hospitality opportunities for foreign leaders and specialists participating in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other exchange programs."

So what, exactly, is citizen diplomacy? According to the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, it's "the concept that the individual has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape U.S. foreign relations." But I'm not a huge fan of this definition. Aside from its U.S.-centric attitude, I think it defines an attitude without addressing the actions. I would say that citizen diplomacy is the collective actions of the people of one country to communicate with people from other countries, with the objective of improving international relationships. Using this definition, it would be fair to say that while not every traveller acts as a citizen diplomat, each has the potential to be a citizen diplomat.

Travel's been on my mind this week, as I prepare to embark on a research trip where I'll be investigating the impact of globalization on a community in Mexico. In "Place and Power in Tourism Development," Raoul Bianchi argues that "as the forces of globalisation intensify, tourism destinations, much like 'world cities,' can perhaps be envisaged as a nexus, situated at the interface of a transnational web of flows in which tourists, workers, migrants, and residents intersect." In such communities, citizen diplomats have a variety of opportunities to work with others and construct new understandings of culture--and not just of their home culture, but of the new cultures that are shaped by such interactions.

So, what advice would you give me for my upcoming voyage, as I intend to be not simply a tourist and a scholar, but a citizen diplomat?