Québec on the World Stage: Examining a Provincial Approach to Cultural Diplomacy

Authors

Sarah E. K. Smith
Alexandre Couture Gagnon, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-15-2025

Abstract

Cultural diplomacy is typically viewed as a state activity; however, substate actors shape the practice in significant ways. This article employs a neo-institutional policy analysis to explore how the provincial government of Québec advanced its cultural diplomacy, while engaging with the Canadian federal government, as well as international actors. Acknowledging overlapping claims on the cultural sector in Canada, we provide a chronological assessment of key cultural policy statements from Québec dating from the mid-twentieth century to present, placing these in context with federal developments. This assessment allows us to explore moments of friction when Québec’s efforts at global engagement challenged federal jurisdiction. Our examination argues for recognition of Québec’s mobilization of culture as a substate actor and asserts that the province benefits from both substate and state cultural diplomacy initiatives.

Comments

© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Recommended Citation

Smith, Sarah EK, and Alexandre Couture Gagnon. "Québec on the World Stage: Examining a Provincial Approach to Cultural Diplomacy." The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society (2024): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2024.2442954

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Publication Title

The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society

DOI

10.1080/10632921.2024.2442954