A Study On Singapore's Cultural Diplomacy

After the Cold War, culture, as a significant part of soft power, has enhanced its position in the international relations; cultural diplomacy has come into a flourishing age. Since its independence, Singapore has achieved notable achievements in its diplomacy, making it "a small country, big diplomacy". Cultural diplomacy is an effective form of Singapore's diplomacy and has special significance in its diplomatic strategy. From a "cultural desert" at the country's infancy to a cultural and international metropolis, Singapore's cultural construction and cultural diplomacy have gone through a series of transformations. This thesis will apply such theories as concerning cultural capital, soft power and constructivism to explore Singapore's cultural diplomacy, with the relationship between cultural diplomacy and diplomatic strategy as a pointcut. It aims to investigate how the newcoming countries should apply cultural diplomacy at different development stages so that cultural diplomacy can integrate with the other forms of diplomacy to better promote the national interest.Altogether this thesis includes three parts. The first part is the introduction, which covers the significance of this study as well as the research situation and methods of current study. The second part is subdivided into three chapters. Chapter One has defined "culture" and "cultural diplomacy" and has given a simple illustration on the development of the cultural diplomacy. Chapter Two has studied fundamentals and practices of Singapore's cultural diplomacy; and the fundamentals include the cultural background, origins and the cultural constructions of Singapore. Chapter Three first explores the status of Singapore's cultural diplomacy in its diplomatic strategy, and then probes into its achievements and challenges. The last part is the conclusion, which gives a summarization of the whole thesis and invokes further thinking and reflection on the limitations of this thesis.