Conceptualizing science diplomacy in the practitioner-driven literature: a critical review

Science diplomacy and the practices it covers have existed for a long time, but the related vocabulary emerged only recently. It is only in the last fifteen years or so that there has been a discourse on science diplomacy, in which the practitioner-driven literature dominates. This article is based on a careful examination of some of its key writings. It aims at reflecting on the construction of the concept of science diplomacy, as it is penned by practitioners. Mainstream narratives magnify the practices of international scientific cooperation and generally under-represent the use of science in foreign policy for competitive purposes. In order to explain the gap that exists between the discourse and the reality of practices, this article puts forward a hypothesis, that of a cultural bias originating from the profile of the leading authors, who are both scientists and actors of science diplomacy.

Pierre-Bruno Ruffini