Taming the Trojan Horse: How Turkish Foreign Policy Can Reconceptualize UNESCO’s Neoliberal Cultural Agenda
Insight Turkey, vol.28, no.2, pp.257-282, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 28 Issue: 2
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.25253/99.2026282.15
- Journal Name: Insight Turkey
- Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, ABI/INFORM, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, vLex, MLA International Bibliography, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Political Science Database (ProQuest)
- Page Numbers: pp.257-282
- Keywords: Creative Economy, Cultural Diplomacy, Neoliberal Governance, Türkiye, UNESCO
- Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This article critically examines whether the UNESCO contemporary cultural policy framework, particularly its embrace of the creative economy, functions as a form of neoliberal governance and explores the implications of this shift for Türkiye’s cultural diplomacy and foreign policy position- ing within UNESCO. It argues that, although UNESCO was founded on principles of cultural diversity, peace, and international cooperation, its post-2000 cultural agenda increasingly frames culture through economic indicators such as employment, competitiveness, and export potential. Methodologically, the study conducts a qualitative policy analysis of UN- ESCO’s core cultural policy instruments, with particular emphasis on the 2005 Convention, and situates this analysis within the critical literature on cultural policy and the creative economy. Türkiye is used as a central case to examine how a middle power country navigates, internalizes, and po- tentially contests this policy framework within a global governance context.