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Role of books in cultural diplomacy should not be neglected
1402/02/11-13:20
Michael Allen Gillespie, a Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Duke University, says the Role of books in cultural diplomacy should not be neglected.
According to the news headquarters of the 34th Tehran International Book Fair, a meaning of cultural diplomacy has been introduced as bargaining to reach goals that unite human societies. Achieving these goals is based on common cultural factors between societies. As a rule, countries with a richer culture will have the ability to absorb more. “Book” is an important factor and medium in the dialogue between cultures, and the publishing industry of any country with a long and rich cultural history is a place for these dialogues.
Tehran International Book Fair, which we are on the verge of its 34th period, can be considered an important factor in cultural diplomacy because it is the result of Iran's rich publishing industry. For this reason, the news staff of this period of the exhibition decided to ask about the Tehran International Book Fair in a conversation with some of the world's great intellectuals and scholars, and it can be said that the goodness of these conversations is the introduction of this fair to these thinkers.
In this respect, Michael Allen Gillespie, a Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Duke University, in response to the question of whether he is familiar with the Tehran Book Fair and whether he would like to see it, says: “I really do not know anything about the Tehran book fair.”
“I would say that over the last decade or so, Iranian movies have played a bigger role in presenting Iranian civilization to the world than books with a few exceptions,” Duke University professor told the news headquarters of the 34th Tehran International Book Fair.
He also adds: “The exceptions, I suspect, generally do not appear at the Tehran book fair because they take a critical stance in their portrayal of the political system.”
Regarding the role of books in cultural diplomacy, Gillespie says: “Given the presence of online resources, it seems to me that the role of the book has declined. That of course is unfortunately because books give us the best opportunity to get inside the person who lives in a culture quite different than ours.”
“If cultural exchange is to continue to play a role it seems to me that the short and short story as well as poetry may have to be the vehicles of exchange,” Duke University professor told the news headquarters of the 34th Tehran International Book Fair.
