Identity Construction In An Interdependent World: The Case Of The Arts In Ghana’s Diplomatic Relations

Abstract

The intensity of globalisation after the Cold War has led to a general concern about how national identities of states and societies are being constructed through the arts and utilized by states in their diplomatic engagements. Specifically, this study sought to unravel the extent to which the arts, broadly understood, have been utilized by the foreign missions of the United States of America, China, Egypt, Brazil and the United Kingdom. With the aid of the theoretical framework of constructivism and the qualitative methodology advanced through the use of primary (interviews and focus group discussions) and secondary data, the result of the study shows that all the foreign missions in Ghana prioritize the use of the arts as part of a deliberate strategy to construct national identities in ways which will enhance their standing in World Affairs. Unlike the foreign missions, Ghana does not seem to have realized the importance of its national identity building resources and thus having a strategic paradigm to derive any advantages that may result from such an initiative. Given the advantages that can be gained from such as strategy, as indicated by respondents, Ghana can begin a process of leveraging its cultural capital in the arts to construct a national identity which can serve as currency in its engagements with other governments