Journal & Book Publications

It argues that traditional government actors of cultural diplomacy in the digital realm increasingly become more dependent on cultural institutions and communities who serve as key cultural content providers. Furthermore, their activities in the digital domain are shaped by interfaces, digital capabilities, and algorithms of dominant communication platforms, designed by transnational corporations as main digital infrastructure builders. Finally, they operate in a very dynamic communication space populated by various opinion makers, including individual influencers, who gain in certain cases a significant diplomatic power to shape global discourses. This typology is designed to account for such variables as functions, dependency, and agency. First, it interrogates and explores key roles different stakeholders choose to play while communicating in the global media space. Second, it explores how much political clout they are capable of generating and to what extent they become dependent from other actors in a highly networked online environment. Providing provocative illustrations that help describe major functions of each actor, the chapter exposes a highly saturated, heterogeneous and complex nature of global cross-cultural communications that requires a more nuanced actors’ typology to help its deeper analysis.

Citation:
Grincheva, Natalia. ''Digital Cultural Diplomacy: From Content Providers to Opinion Makers.'' The Oxford Handbook of Digital Diplomacy, edited by Corneliu Bjola, and Ilan Manor, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2024, pp. 194-211, ISBN / ISSN: 9780192859198.

It contextualizes their exchange within the broader theoretical discourses and artistic practices surrounding systems theory and media technology and highlights intersections between Hall and McLuhan’s theoretical frameworks related to concepts of indeterminism, systems theory, and cybernetics in technology-based, kinesthetic, multi-sensory mediated environments in the 1960s. It particularly focuses on overlapping conceptual approaches toward the interrelation between the individual, the sociocultural environment, and the emerging media-technological ecosystem.

Citation:
Muench, Wolfgang. ''Men of Letters: Perspectives on Multi-Sensory Environments in the Hall-McLuhan Correspondence, 1961–1977.'' Leonardo, vol. 57, no. 3, 2024, pp. 334-339, doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_02529.

2, 2024, ISBN / ISSN: 2704-0550.

Co-editor Daniel Wong highlights the power of "becoming" in fostering self-discovery, promoting inclusion in arts-based communities, and ultimately empowering individuals to shape their own narratives of healing and growth. Wong, in curating this issue, links this concept of "becoming" to the diverse contributions within, showcasing how CAT practitioners and researchers embrace this approach. From exploring dadirri, an Indigenous Australian practice of deep listening, to examining the role of art in navigating cancer, the issue exemplifies how creative expression facilitates "becoming" in a multitude of contexts. This is profoundly illustrated in Anna Lam Sasson's paper on the experience of cultural identity for adult transracial adoptees. Sasson demonstrates how collage, mirroring the fragmented experience of cultural displacement, allows adoptees to visually piece together their birth and adopted cultures, forging a more cohesive and empowered sense of self through art.

Citation:
Wong, Daniel. ''Editorial: Becoming: A creative revolution in healing.'' Journal of Creative Arts Therapies (JoCAT), vol. 19, no. 1, 2024.

Singapore, Yumcha Studios, 2024, ISBN / ISSN: 9789811896637.

It is ideal for families and schools aiming to empower children not only with a second language but also with an appreciation for cultural traditions.

Citation:
Woo, Yen Yen, et al. Celebrating is Hard Work: A Dim Sum Warriors Bilingual Tale. Singapore, Yumcha Studios, 2024, ISBN / ISSN: 978-981-18-9263-9.

Having arisen from personal encounters of teaching at tertiary level and the challenges of catering to learners presenting a broad spectrum of educational needs, I have become increasingly aware of the diversity of students seeking assistance. Initially training as a social worker and working in the disability sector for several years, I have always gravitated towards personal narratives. The lived experiences of learners presenting a wide range of differing needs provide insights into their realities and concerns. Rather than deconstructing differences through the ableist lens and the “conception of disability informed by the primacy of normalcy”, lived experiences need to be heard so that moral and ethical decisions can be made about how goods and services can be distributed fairly.

Citation:
Carlisle, Damaris. ''Oh! She’s doing fine: Realities and Concerns of Learners with Disabilities at University in Singapore.'' Not Without Us: Perspectives on Disability and Inclusion in Singapore, edited by Kuansong Victor Zhuang, et al., Singapore, Ethos Books, 2023, pp. 295-314, ISBN / ISSN: 978-981-18-6113-0.

The collaboration took place virtually between two institutions of higher education, located on different sides of the globe, namely Mexico and Singapore. Students met to work in groups on a project, in an authentic situation to practice the target language. The experience provided students with intercultural and transnational learning through interaction, collaboration and taking ownership of their learning. With little or no experience of taking part in COIL projects, the practitioners investigated three key questions: 1. What are the benefits to students of taking part in international collaboration? 2. What are the challenges of such a project? 3. How do students cope with misunderstandings resulting from cultural and ethnic differences? Data was collected through the analysis of written online learning logs using thematic coding to create a survey given to participating students at the end of the project. The benefits, as well as the challenges, are considered followed by recommendations based on first-hand experiences and reflections to offer a practical reference for colleagues and educators who may wish to explore the feasibility of taking part in such a project.

Citation:
Carlisle, Damaris, and Judith M. M. Luna Sáenz. ''COIL, COILer, COILing: English Language Learners Participating in Collaborative Online International Learning.'' Proceedings of The Southeast Asian Conference on Education 2023, Singapore 02/2023. iafor: 2023, pp. 1-13, doi: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2023.1.