Textual Ambassadors - Cultures of Diplomacy and Literary Writing in the Early Modern World

In the early modern period literary texts - printed, manuscript, and oral - played a crucial part in diplomatic practice. Embassies were sites of cultural exchange and literature was a frequent tool in what we would now call cultural diplomacy. Professionally diplomats used a wide range of literary texts, texts which were critical in communicating and mediating cultural difference. Works of literature were sent as diplomatic gifts, while dramatic and poetic productions at court were invested with diplomatic meaning. As public and private figures diplomats moved texts across borders. They were writers, patrons and consumers of a diverse range of literature and were profoundly influenced by the literary cultures they encountered abroad. Although cultural artefacts, including literature, became increasingly important in diplomatic practice as protocol developed, the mechanisms and meaning of such cross-cultural diplomatic exchanges remain poorly understood, as does their impact on literary culture. This was a formative period in the development of diplomatic structures and assumptions in an ever more global context: the geographical scope of individual countries' diplomatic activity expanded considerably and rulers increasingly sent longer-term embassies, often adopting the use of resident ambassadors, who provided continuous representation of their interests abroad. It is increasingly apparent that we can only truly understand both early modern diplomacy and Renaissance literary culture through broader and deeper investigation into the interlocking literary and diplomatic cultures of the global Renaissance. As the spoken and written word remains central to diplomatic practice, this network will produce research with implications for the understanding of cultural diplomacy today.
'Textual Ambassadors' will provide urgently needed definition to a burgeoning, but methodologically and theoretically underdeveloped field. Primarily focussing on developments within Europe and Russia c.1450-1720, it will also assess the impact of the expansion of diplomatic activity between Europe and Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Historians of diplomacy are increasingly adopting cultural approaches to what was once considered a bureaucratic or constitutional subject, but have left the role of literature relatively unexplored. Meanwhile, literary scholars are increasingly aware that diplomatic contacts and processes were important in shaping texts but largely rely on older historical works for context. Our ambition is to develop new methodological and theoretical approaches to the interrelationship between literature and diplomacy that will define and advance this emerging field. We will focus on three closely related areas: the impact of changes in the literary sphere on diplomatic culture; the role of texts in diplomatic practice, particularly those that operated as 'textual ambassadors'; and the impact of changes in diplomatic practice on literary production. 'Textual Ambassadors' will draw together a team of international scholars from the USA, UK, and Europe, including leading figures in the field such as Timothy Hampton (UC Berkley) and John Watkins (University of Minnesota). Our commitment to innovative inter- and multidisciplinary approaches is reflected in the network's composition: members have expertise in diplomatic history, literary criticism, book history, and cultural studies. Our activities will centre on two workshops and an international conference aimed at a) establishing the challenges of the field; b) further developing and refining our core research questions; c) exploring a range of interdisciplinary approaches; and d) setting the network's research in broader context. Virtual discussion forums and reading groups will provide continuous dialogue and reflection among network members, while an open-access website will showcase the network's research by hosting podcasts, blogs, and web exhibits of 'textual ambassadors'.

The spoken and written word remains crucial to contemporary cultural diplomatic practice. The BBC World Service, for example, has recently been described as one of Britain's key means of cultural diplomacy, while exported books and films powerfully project a nation's image abroad. British Council libraries abroad and USIA-run American libraries abroad were central to the twentieth-century development of public diplomacy, evolving alongside such schemes as the renowned US Art in Embassies Program. Yet current discussions of cultural diplomacy often revolve around exhibitions and artists, or concerts and musicians, and so too rarely address verbal, textual and literary arts. We must understand the place of the spoken and written word within cultural diplomatic practices that continue to complement formal diplomacy, both at the heart of the embassy and widely outside the official diplomatic sphere.

In the early modern period literature, art, and other cultural artefacts were embedded in everyday diplomatic practice. Cultural exchanges played an increasingly important role in the development of diplomatic protocol as countries gradually adopted the practice of keeping resident embassies abroad. While such cultural diplomatic contact was consolidated in relations between western European sovereigns, their diplomatic sphere became increasingly global across the period 1450-1720, incorporating exchange between countries with ostensibly different cultural expressions and conceptions. The verbal and textual nature of core diplomatic practice makes the wider cultural pursuit of diplomatic ends through such 'textual ambassadors' as presentation poems, exported books, or court drama a particularly telling site for investigating these exchanges. By elucidating the mechanisms and consequences of cultural practices within diplomacy during this crucial time in the development of international relations, this network will produce research with resounding implications for the understanding of cultural diplomacy today.

Our research will therefore be of interest to practitioners, policy makers, and researchers interested in the mechanisms of cultural diplomacy, especially those concerned with the role of literature and language in intra-cultural relations. The network's research will address concerns that remain imperative for contemporary cultural diplomacy: the role of language and diplomatic interaction in cultural exchanges; the circumstances and consequences of miscommunication; the role of literary texts as ambassadors; and how different cultures can create a shared political register in order to communicate profitably their values, ideals, and priorities. Equally importantly, our research will consider the impact of diplomatic interaction on the creation of cultural artefacts and the development of cultural values.

'Textual ambassadors' will benefit the broader public by encouraging public awareness of the historical practices, processes and significance of cultural diplomacy. Moreover, our research will enhance our understanding of our cultural heritage and its position in relation to Europe and the wider world whilst simultaneously illuminating facets of the cultural heritage of other countries in Europe and beyond. Our web pages, and associated public talks, will explore such themes and will concurrently give a sense of the material past.

The network could have further indirect impact since our research into the international transmission of texts will potentially provide museums and libraries with new information about items within their collections. Equally, the new critical approaches and new contextual information our research will uncover will be of considerable interest both to scholars preparing future editions of key early modern texts and their prospective readers. Finally, by putting UK scholars at the heart of an emerging and important field of research, the network will enhance overall UK research capacity.