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Public Diplomacy And The “Self” In Regional Organization: A Network Approach To Identity Formation, Image Formation, And Asean Community Building, Daniel J. Smith

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

This paper examines the construction of the ―Self‖ in regional community building—that is, the ―actorness‖ of a regional entity in the international system. Specifically, I address the function of official public diplomacy in regional organization. I contend that formal public diplomacy is a crucial component to the internal identity formation and external image formation processes that constitute regional ―community building,‖ leading to the ―Self.‖ In explicating the development of a regional institution’s actorness, public diplomacy is conceptualized through constructivist networks. I posit that these network representations reflect the continuous nature of identity and image in community building. I have two …