Sunday, March 10, 2019

International misrecognition: The politics of humour and national identity in Israel’s public diplomacy


European Journal of International Relations; original article contains more links

International misrecognition: The politics of humour and national identity in Israel’s public diplomacy [JB emphasis]

Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Alexei Tsinovoi [JB: link to this name does not lead to his bio/accomplishments] First Published January 19, 2018 Research Article  
https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066117745365

Article information 

Article has an altmetric score of 33   No Access

Abstract

Recognition, or the lack of it, is a central concern in International Relations. However, how states cope with international misrecognition has so far not been thoroughly explored in International Relations scholarship. To address this, the article presents a theoretical framework for understanding international misrecognition by drawing on discursive and psychoanalytical theories of collective identity formation and humour studies. The article conceptualises international misrecognition as a gap between the dominant narrative of a national Self and the way in which this national Self is reflected in the ‘mirror’ of the international Other. We argue that humour offers an important way of coping with misrecognition by ridiculing and thereby downplaying international criticism. The significance for international relations is illustrated through an analysis of the public diplomacy campaign ‘Presenting Israel’, which, through parodying video clips, mobilised ordinary Israeli citizens to engage in peer-to-peer public diplomacy when travelling abroad. Public diplomacy campaigns are commonly seen by scholars and practitioners as attempts to improve the nation’s image and smoothen or normalise international Self–Other relations. However, after analysing the discursive and visual components of the campaign — which parodied how European media portrayed Israel as primitive, violent and exotic — this article observes that in the context of international misrecognition, such coping attempts can actually contribute to further international estrangement.

Keywords Humour, Israel, misrecognition, national identity, public diplomacy

***

Yay, our article is now out in this year’s first issue of ⁦⁦⁩ “International misrecognition: The politics of humour and national identity in Israel’s public diplomacy”[JB emphasis] - the perfect way to spend your Friday night🤘[JB note: I was unable to copy the image on this blog]

No comments: