Post-war Nation-Building and Cultural Diplomacy

The arts and cultural festivals in the 1950s to 1960s presented the vision of nation-states in multilateralism. As an instrument for cultural diplomacy, such festivals, performances, and exchanges became sites to transform the former pre-war image of particular countries, such as post-war Japan. In some cases, culture was the means to represent national interests or to create the space for dialogue and alignment between nations. From Cold War cultural diplomacy to the cultural festivals and exchanges in Southeast Asia that preceded the formation of ASEAN and the creation of Japan Foundation, performance as diplomacy has long shaped transnational networks and cultural interaction between countries across Asia.