The Chinese government has spent billions of dollars in Africa on public diplomacy initiatives that are intended to improve the country’s image. Central to that strategy is the growing network of Confucius Institutes (CIs) spread across the continent that are designed to introduce Chinese language and culture to the African masses. Today, there are over 40 CIs in Africa but, despite their good intentions, these institutes attract significant controversy.
Goethe University post-doctoral research fellow Falk Hartig is an expert on CIs and the broader role they play in China’s cultural diplomacy overseas. Hartig joins Eric and Cobus to discuss whether cultural diplomacy is actually effective, particularly in China’s case.
Conversation
06.23.14
The Debate Over Confucius Institutes
Last week, the American Association of University Professors joined a growing chorus of voices calling on North American universities to rethink their relationship with Confucius Institutes, the state-sponsored Chinese-language programs...
Recommendations
- “Confucius Institutes: The Globalization of Chinese Soft Power—The Case of South Africa,” Falk Hartig, Lecture at the University of Southern California for the USC U.S.-China Institute and the Center for Public Diplomacy, March 17, 2014
- “Confusion about Confucius Institutes: Soft Power Push or Conspiracy? A Case Study of Confucius Institutes in Germany,” Falk Hartig, presented to the 18th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia in Adelaide, July 5-8, 2010