Resonating Cultures

Leading Dialogue

Objectives

• To clarify and reimagine cultural diplomacy through diverse histories, regional experiences, and evolving global dynamics
• To explore intersections of culture and diplomacy in fields such as heritage, food, music, media, and sustainability
• To foster international collaboration among scholars, artists, and policymakers, generating impactful outputs and networks

Scope

The IICCD 2025 encourages abstract submissions on the following subthemes, but not restricted to:

• Repatriation and Postcolonial Cultural Diplomacy
  This subtheme explores how the return of cultural objects to their countries or communities of origin has emerged as a powerful form of cultural diplomacy, one that addresses historical injustices and redefines global ethics. As international conventions like UNESCO 1970 and UNIDROIT 1995 gain traction, restitution becomes a shared endeavor to build trust, renew cultural continuity, and co-create ethical futures in global heritage governance.

• Cultural Diplomacy for Sustainability.
  This subtheme explores how local knowledge systems, indigenous arts, environmental rituals, and creative expressions contribute to ecological resilience and intergenerational justice. Drawing on examples such as adat-based stewardship and Tri Hita Karana, discussions will explore eco-art, climate storytelling, heritage adaptation, and the cultural dimensions of the post-2030 development agenda.

• Oceans, Cities, and Civilizations: Maritime and Architecture Heritage in Dialogue.
  This subtheme brings together maritime cultural histories and built environments as spaces of diplomacy. From historic port cities and oceanic rituals to temple restoration and cross-cultural architecture, these tangible legacies reflect centuries of intercultural contact.

• Food, Textiles, and Museums as Instruments of Cultural Dialogue.
  This subtheme investigates how culinary traditions, textile arts, and museum collections serve as vehicles of soft power, identity, and cross-cultural storytelling. From state banquets and batik diplomacy to exhibition exchanges and debates on artefact restitution, we explore how material culture operates in both formal and grassroots diplomacy.

• Performing Presence: Music, Popular Culture, and Creative Exchange.
  This subtheme explores how performance and storytelling, through sound, text, visual imagery, and spectacle—shape national identity, challenge stereotypes, and foster intercultural understanding. From gamelan ensembles, diasporic novels, and poetry slams, to film festivals, hip-hop diplomacy, and global fan cultures, these expressions reflect and reshape how societies communicate values, histories, and futures.

• Media and Motion: Communication Platforms and Public Diplomacy.
  This subtheme focuses on the infrastructures and strategies that shape cross-border cultural communication, traditional broadcasting, online media, nation branding, and social media diplomacy. We explore how governments, institutions, and publics construct narratives through media platforms, and how these platforms facilitate or constrain international dialogue.

The subthemes can be considered as broadly as possible to accommodate diverse perspectives, disciplinary approaches, and case studies that explore the multifaceted nature of cultural diplomacy in both local and global contexts in the modern era.