This dissertation analyzes the appropriation of the political theory "soft power" within Japanese national bureaucracies as a discursive mechanism through which anxious concerns for Japan's present are manufactured into hopeful sentiments for its future. In doing so, it examines how certain nonconscious capacities to feel, affects , are made knowable in more formally narrated and perceived sentiments, emotions . These terms constitute the two sides of what I call the affect-emotion gap , whereby the slippages between what one feels and what one knows about what one feels are made into sites of political and economic investment. Based on two years of fieldwork conducted at the major national bureaucracies engaged with cultural diplomacy and policy in Japan--the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Japan Foundation--I observe how soft power ideologies are translated into administrative policies that seek to turn aesthetic production, specifically within the field of Japanese popular culture, into political resource. Ultimately, I argue that the uneasy accommodation of soft power ideology to everyday bureaucratic practice reveals a contradictory movement in which soft power is at once delegitimized as practical policy and activated as discursive ideology which, in suturing economic anxiety in the present to hope for Japan's culture industries in the future, nonetheless sustains soft power's circulation.

The Swedish Institute is a public agency promoting Swedish interest, national image and confidence around the world. This work attempts to investigate how communication and a process over time influences and effects public diplomacy. The analytic discussion is based on a single case study research of this Institute representing ideas in the international science field of public diplomacy. The theoretical ideas of public diplomacy are placed in a theoretical perspective of social constructivism. The method is qualitative, with excerpts taken from interviews, literature, newspapers, articles, state public reports and social media. The work adopts a discourse analytic approach, aiming to uncover the structure of public diplomacy by using three analytic tools: soft power, nation branding and cultural diplomacy. The presented analysis and examples suggest a close collaboration between researchers and practitioners can lead to a coherent theory of public diplomacy. The result identifies promising directions as well as weakness and gaps in existing knowledge. The work promotes an analytic tool “korstryck” for theorize and conceptualize the discussion of public diplomacy. A strategy of today requires three fundamental components: power, diplomacy and communication. The challenge in public diplomacy is the balance between public opinion, public foreign policy and global networks of communication. The paper aims to open doors for further scientific works are needed in the searching for a theory of public diplomacy.

Globalization abates barriers and makes the world similar, but also leads countries to perform like companies seeking and competing for global capitals. In this competition the „nation brand‟ becomes a critical tool to stand out and attract any sort of foreign investments. In this research, the factors which affect the nation brand, presented in the Anholt´s hexagon model, will be tested through the combination of theory on nation branding and empirical data. The study analyzes how different organizations affect and promote the commercial image of Spain in Sweden. Up to seven entities susceptible to affect the brand Spain were analyzed; the ICEX, the economic and commercial office of Spain in Stockholm, the embassy of Spain in Stockholm, Invest in Spain, the Elcano Royal institute, the Hispanic-Swedish chamber of commerce in Madrid and the Swedish trade council in Madrid. The study also presents an outline of the current context of the brand Spain and its projection in Sweden, as well as an overview on the trade relationship between both countries. The individual commitment of most of the organizations investigated, under the guidance of the Ministry of foreign affairs and the Ministry of industry, tourism, and trade of Spain, appears as one of the main findings. Despite the limited scope of this investigation, the relative novelty of this field of study leaves room for further research in different directions, questioning those who claim that globalization threats local diversity.

The aim of this study is to explore the Study in Sweden Facebook page, particularly about the use of nation branding identity and its representation on the social media channel during the period for application promotion for Swedish higher education institutions for Autumn semester 2018. Facebook page has been used as a centre for international marketing activities. With the purpose of promoting brand identity and the brand products, Facebook page has a significance as an online brand platform. Despite the importance of nation branding on online channel, few studies focusing on online channels for nation branding were conducted. Study in Sweden. The Study in Sweden Facebook page is used to promote Swedish higher education and Sweden, which also aims to imprint a positive image of Swedish education and Sweden as a country. Applying nation branding theoretical approach with qualitative content analysis, how nation branding identity is represented on the Study in Sweden Facebook page was investigated. In accordance with cultural approaches to nation branding, nation branding identity was labelled as binders of the imagined community further values of the nation. The study brought a focus on the relations between national identity and Swedishness concerning the core values of the nation. Facebook was investigated as communicator of the nation branding for representing the core values of Sweden.

Abstract In the heart of Paris, you will find Sweden‟s only cultural center abroad. Since the early 70‟s a wealth of cultural activities has been offered, and every year the center receives more than 100,000 visitors. The center is a branch of the Swedish Institute (Si), a public authority which promotes mutual relationships between Sweden and other countries through culture, education, science and business. The overall mission of Si is to increase the interest and trust in Sweden, and to manage and evaluate the public image of Sweden abroad. This study aims to reveal to what extent the Swedish Institute in Paris influences Sweden‟s public image among its visitors. Thus, the study analyses if activities within the field of cultural diplomacy can be seen as a means, in the purpose of reinforcing a nation‟s brand. During a two week period, about 140 visitors to the exhibition "Tio fotografer" at the Swedish Institute in Paris responded to a statistical survey, which examined whether their visit had in anyway influenced their images and perceptions of Sweden. The design of the questionnaire was partly inspired by Simon Anholt‟s „Nation Brands Index‟ analysis method, which is used to evaluate a country‟s image abroad. The results from the survey show that the image of Sweden, by a majority of these visitors, has become more positive thanks to the Swedish Institute.

Title: Images of Sweden in Italy Number of pages: 5252 (589 including enclosures) Author: Oskar Gustafsson Tutor: Martin Nilsson Course: Political Science C level – Bachelor’s Thesis Period: Spring term 2010 University: School of Social Sciences Linnaeus University Purpose/Aim: The purpose of my research study is to, through the use of political science theories on soft power and marketing theories about nation branding and in comparison to previous studies on the image of Sweden in Italy, gains a better understanding of the image of Sweden in Italy, with special focus on national political institutions and young Italians. Method: The method of analysis is a combination of qualitative methods: interviews where information about the image of Sweden amongst national political institutions were gathered and a survey where information was gathered about the image of Sweden amongst young Italians. Main results: On the basis of the results I have gained it can be concluded that a positive and well informed image of Sweden emerges when it comes to cultural and social factors but a more restricted and somewhat negative image come to light when asking national political institutions and young citizens in Italy about their views and knowledge on Swedish domestic and international politics and economics. Keywords: Soft power, Public Diplomacy, Nation Branding, Images of Sweden, Italy.

The master thesis is focused on the perception of Poland as a brand among university students. The aim of the master thesis is an analysis of Poland in terms of image and identity of the country perceived by university students. The theoretical part is concentrated on nation branding as a key concept for building a nation brand. The practical part contains analysis of secondary data from rating indexes, researches about perception of Poland, national and media campaigns. The primary research included qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the perception of Poland, general image, stereotypes, opinions and attitude toward Polish products and services. The research was carried out among Polish and Czech university students.

This Master's thesis focuses on nation branding in developing countries. Nation branding is an emerging discipline that aims to build and improve a nation's image through the application of marketing techniques. The aim of the thesis is to contextualize the nation branding of developing countries within the broader framework of the theory and practice of nation branding and development studies. The thesis is structured into three chapters. The first chapter offers an introduction into the theory and practice of nation branding and the critique attached to it. The second chapter then looks at how nation branding fits into the wider context of development studies, and the scale of its relevance for developing countries with a special focus on its application for export, FDI and tourism promotion and its significance in development co-operation. The last chapter is dedicated to case studies of application of nation branding in two developing countries: Uruguay and Thailand. The conclusion sums up the results.

This thesis deals with the representation of the natural environment in branding the Czech Republic on the domestic and global market. The aim was to find out how the visual and textual content of CzechTourism information and promotional materials contributes to this and how the representation of nature characterizes the Czech Republic as a cultural tourism destination. The evaluation was based on qualitative analysis. Textual content was analysed using the grounded theory method, selected photographs were subjected to semiotic analysis. The result shows that the Czech Republic is presented through CzechTourism brochures as a country that is a harmonious combination of natural treasures and historical monuments. The Czech Republic seems to be a tourist destination, after a visit to which a change of personality occurs: not only does one's physical and emotional state improve, but also one reflects on a number of issues such as the perception of spiritual values, awareness of oneself as a Czech citizen (for local residents), gaining new knowledge about the history of the Czech state (for foreign tourists). This work can serve as a basis for further research, e.g. building a country's brand through CzechTourism's social media presence. It would also be interesting to find out whether the content of...

Over the last six decades, the Eurovision Song Contest has tried to embody the voice of European unification and international corporation. Previous scholars have depicted Eurovision as something highly influential and beneficial for all participating parties, whether that relates to the opportunity for commercial profit, outspoken Europeanist aspirations, or desired political progress– the song contest is utilized by multiple actors for varying reasons. In this study, I aim to demonstrate how it functions as an alternative cultural battlefield, a unifying apparatus, a signifier of projections, and a vehicle for soft power politics in warfare. It is an essay about political storytelling– the dichotomies between collaboration and resistance, Europeanist aspirations versus nationalistic objectives, the democratic against the totalitarian, the good and the bad. The Eurovision rationale aims to encourage certain rules of behavior and regulate conduct towards those nations that have failed to adhere to these rules. When these assumptions gain terrain in the public discourse, epistemological hegemonies are maintained, power relations sustained and public opinion affected. The study uses a methodological framework of qualitative research, and the empirical data consists of seven interviews followed by a visual analysis of the performances and context surrounding entries from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia over the years. Three main narratives emanated from this study. The Eurovision Song Contest can be understood as an imagined community created by language and imagined through symbols of meaning. The governing body of Eurovision is the sovereign player who gets to control the political discourse by managing the selection of songs and participating countries. With impression management, the participating nations try and regulate how they are perceived in a public setting. It is communicated through carefully curated performances and acted out by constructed characters. When one fails to adhere to the rules set by the ESC organizers, disturbances occur, and the competition's core values are threatened.