Search Results (7)

West African cuisine is among the world’s most complex and historically significant culinary traditions, shaped by diverse ecosystems, centuries of trans-regional trade, and the cultural heritage of more than three hundred distinct ethnic groups spanning the Atlantic coast and the Sahel. West African cuisine has undergone a significant cultural and culinary transformation in the American food landscape, moving from relative obscurity to mainstream visibility. This entry examines the rise of West African cuisine in the United States, with particular attention to jollof as a cultural symbol of identity, diaspora, and culinary diplomacy. Drawing on academic scholarship, food journalism, and primary cultural sources, the entry traces the historical roots of West African foodways through the transatlantic slave trade and their enduring influence on American culinary traditions. It further explores how contemporary chefs, restaurateurs, and food writers of West African descent, including Eric Adjepong, Pierre Thiam, and Kwame Onwuachi, have elevated the cuisine within American fine dining and popular culture. The entry also addresses the role of social media, particularly the viral “Jollof Wars,” in amplifying West African culinary culture globally, culminating in UNESCO’s recognition of Senegalese jollof rice as an element of intangible cultural heritage. Questions of structural barriers, authenticity, and representation are critically examined. The entry argues that while West African cuisine is experiencing unprecedented visibility in America, its mainstream acceptance remains mediated by cultural filters that risk diluting its complexity and richness. Ultimately, this entry positions West African cuisine not merely as a culinary trend but as a living expression of diasporic identity, cultural resilience, and global influence. Full article

While governance theories are well-established, their operational application to transboundary serial cultural heritage remains minimally explored, particularly regarding comparative methodologies for evaluating cooperation maturity. This study addresses this gap by investigating the relationships among institutional models, cooperation mechanisms, and management maturity levels across different countries. The research utilizes a qualitative comparative analysis of the management plans of fifteen transboundary serial cultural heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Findings show that governance is not limited to the functioning of legal and administrative structures, but is also shaped by trust among stakeholders, knowledge exchange, and participant processes. Four main governance models were identified: institutionalized multinational networks, federal–modular structures, bilateral–local cooperation, and community-led collaboration. In parallel, the developed Corporate Governance and Maturity Positioning Map reveals that the sites fall along six distinct levels, ranging from basic communication to sustained governance networks. The study argues that the primary factor determining management effectiveness is the intensity of interaction and continuity of coordination rather than institutional capacity. Overall, the findings suggest that cultural heritage governance should be understood as a multi-layered, learning-based, and diplomatic process. Full article

This study examines Egypt’s evolving role as a middle power through the lens of niche diplomacy. It analyzes how Cairo leverages its strategic advantages to assert influence within an increasingly multipolar international order. Egypt’s global profile has expanded beyond its immediate regional sphere through four key domains: mediation, its bid to serve as an energy hub, its geopolitical positioning at the Arab-African and Mediterranean crossroads, and its promotion of religious, cultural, and heritage diplomacy. The analysis shows that these niches enable Egypt to maintain agency, manage external dependencies, and project influence despite structural vulnerabilities. The study advances the literature on middle powers by illustrating how a Global South state adapts niche diplomacy to contemporary geopolitical pressures. Egypt’s case demonstrates that structural geography, historical legacy, and interregional identity can sustain middle-power relevance, extending the niche diplomacy concept beyond models centered on wealth or ideational leadership. Full article

Cultural heritage is increasingly mobilized as a tool of international engagement, yet the diplomatic uses of heritage remain conceptually underdeveloped and analytically fragmented. This paper introduces the Heritage Diplomacy Spectrum, a multidimensional framework that maps how states and affiliated actors use heritage—both tangible and intangible—to pursue strategic, symbolic, and normative goals in cross-border contexts. Drawing on critical heritage studies, international relations, and memory politics, this study identifies six analytical dimensions (e.g., proactive vs. reactive, cultural vs. historical, strategic vs. moral) and develops seven ideal types of heritage diplomacy, ranging from soft power projection to post-dependency and corrective diplomacy. These ideal types, constructed in the Weberian tradition, serve as heuristic tools to illuminate the varied motivations and diplomatic postures underlying heritage-based engagement. A central matrix is presented to illustrate how each type aligns with different strategic logics and affective registers. This study argues that heritage diplomacy constitutes a distinct modality of heritage governance—one that transcends soft power narratives and encompasses conflict, reconciliation, symbolic redress, and identity assertion. The framework contributes both to theory-building and policy analysis, offering a diagnostic lens through which the ethical, political, and communicative dimensions of heritage diplomacy can be more systematically understood. Full article

Museums play a crucial role in sustainable urban regeneration by maintaining and promoting cultural identity, fostering education, enhancing economic growth, among other factors. The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the dynamic connection between the role of museums and the viable development of cities as well as the salience of this interdependence. Using a qualitative approach, case study and comparative analysis, we examine social, economic, cultural, technological, and environmental criteria as a framework, aiming to elucidate and highlight the significance of implementing cultural policies for the sustainable development of cities in contemporary globalized societies. The correlation under investigation is revealed by evaluating and comparing Athens and Singapore based on the landmark museum of each city. The main argument, derived from the analysis, is that traditional practices function as custodians of heritage, operating as interdisciplinary platforms that foster innovation, inclusivity, and cultural diplomacy. Despite differences in governance and orientation, both case studies reveal how tailored cultural policies can utilize the assets of each institution to support cohesive urban identities and foster cross-cultural engagement. Full article

This work studied the efforts of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage in Cyprus to explore how effectively the TCCH applies diplomatic relation-building efforts towards cultural heritage management and how this can be used to construct a bridge to a process of sustainable development of social relations and heritage use in Cyprus. The Committee’s efforts demonstrate community heritage diplomacy and civil heritage diplomacy, employed by the two largest communities of the island as they attempt to build relations with each other and other minor communities across the border via various heritage practices, and public heritage diplomacy, which is employed by the authorities of each side via the Committee to influence the public of the other side. The Committee employs these forms of heritage diplomacy via a language of cooperation and by bridging gaps in and crossing borders for collaboration, so as to transfer knowledge, values, and experience, and to build trust with institutions and communities. The significance of the study lies in illustrating that the technical and collaborative successes of the Committee via application of the determined types of diplomacy may be successfully applied for a sustainable approach to build relations and confidence under ideologically and politically strained circumstances in Cyprus. Full article

This paper investigates the soft power of community archaeology in transforming isolated and diverse communities into a more inclusive society, by reviewing community archaeology as a concept, and as a process, through the case of inclusive cultural heritage in Mozan, Syria. A theory of change underpinned key interventions in Mozan to track shifts in the social behaviour of locals from cultural isolation towards participation, partnership and inclusion, while investigating the process of establishing understanding, acceptance and mutual trust within communities. The research adopted an ethnographic study and used qualitative research methods. These relied primarily on direct observations and open ended, semi-structured and in-depth interviews with local communities, an archaeological mission and governmental and civic stakeholders involved in the area. The fieldwork research was informed by conducting a review of literature on the impact of culture and heritage in social contexts, social inclusion and cultural diplomacy. The paper demonstrates how the contribution of community archaeology in soft power change has assisted personal and community empowerment through inclusive cultural heritage on an individual level while strengthening social networks to mobilise the impact on the community as a whole. It reveals how such a project enhanced dialogue, increased awareness, and built and contributed to mutual understanding in order to support a shift in the harder area of symbolic community thinking and attitude, against a backdrop of conflict, war and isolation and builds the basis for inclusive cultural heritage tourism. Full article