The Cultural and Economic Diplomacy of an Emerging Trade Power: the European Community at the Osaka Expo, 1970

Abstract

This article examines the European Community’s participation in the Osaka Expo in 1970 from the standpoint of whether it was an exercise in cultural diplomacy or an economic exercise. While there was at the time a growing European consciousness and common identity, this article shows that while the ec’s intention in participating in the Osaka Expo may have been to foster its cultural mandate, in reality it was motivated more by economic concerns. It makes a significant contribution to the literature because the ec’s participation in the Expo in 1970 has been largely neglected, even forgotten, and is worth revisiting as a case study of cultural and economic diplomacy as practiced by an organization in an arena in which nation-states usually participated.