The Role of Confucius Institute in China''s Public Diplomacy on American Campuses

• Main Authors: Tai-Lin Huang, 黃苔菱
• Other Authors: 紀舜傑
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/37667923027659160776

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 美洲研究所碩士班 === 103 === Riding on a wave of bolstering economy and military strength, China over the past decade has been pushing its idea of rejuvenation on global stage, and that with the establishment of Confucius Institutes, these cultural organizations provided an opportunity for China to promote the country and project its image abroad as a benevolent rising power. Of late however, Confucius Institute program has come under fire from members of the host country''s academia circle, alleging it of heavy-handedly meddling in the host university''s administrative arrangement. The concerns are particularly glaring on American campuses. Studies of the Confucius Institute have been overwhelmingly focused on its general description and its global expansion in the context of China''s soft power pursuit, with litter academic analysis elaborate on the phenomenon of the Confucius Institute on U.S. campuses. This paper therefore aims to improve the current extended literature by providing a theoretical and empirical analysis of the Confucius Institute programs in the Northern American campuses. By applying theories and concepts from the fields of international relations, diplomacy, education and branding marketing, as well as examining official documents, journals, news reports and public opinion polls, this inter-disciplinary study seeks to examine the rationales, diplomatic objectives, and national interests behind China''s establishment of Confucius Institutes in the U.S. and their subsequent impacts. The paper also analyzes these issues through Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), a common method in Futures Studies, that seeks to dig into the essence and core element of the issues at hand and generate profound interpretation on various dimensions.