Taming the Trojan Horse: How Turkish Foreign Policy Can Reconceptualize UNESCO’s Neoliberal Cultural Agenda
Insight Turkey, cilt.28, sa.2, ss.257-282, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 28 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.25253/99.2026282.15
- Dergi Adı: Insight Turkey
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: 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)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.257-282
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Creative Economy, Cultural Diplomacy, Neoliberal Governance, Türkiye, UNESCO
- Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
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.