| Summary/Abstract |
If culture is the lynchpin of public diplomacy, then the Canada Council for the Arts (the Council) has had an important role in projecting Canada’s international image, identity, and values beyond its borders for over 60 years. This article explores the evolution of the Council’s role in Canada’s cultural diplomacy, from its birth as a result of the Massey Commission’s recommendations to its growing international role in projecting Canada’s diversity in a contemporary international context. The article argues that the Council’s growing international role, one that promotes cultural freedom, will strengthen Canada’s foreign policy and may portend a unique form of “bottom-up” Canadian cultural statecraft that is distinct from the traditional “top-down” forms of political and economic statecraft.
|