Personal Politics in the Postwar World

Western Diplomacy Behind the Scenes

AvSusanna Erlandsson

Inbunden, Engelska, 2022

1 314 kr

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Häftad

406 kr

Beskrivning

Unravelling the mechanisms of daily diplomacy in the mid-20th century, this book follows one Dutch diplomatic couple, the van Kleffens, on their postings from the 1930s to the 1950s to offer a new perspective on how non-officials and personal politics shaped the postwar world. Combining private and public source materials, Erlandsson foregrounds the political culture of diplomacy and highlights events and people which have been left off the official record. The book integrates the detailed study of behind-the-scenes diplomatic practice into the larger narrative of traditional diplomatic history, connecting social practices with political outcomes. Exploring how women’s tea drinking was used to achieve post-war foreign policy and how Rosa, a Guatemalan cook, contributed to the international standing of the Netherlands, it offers a more inclusive history by recognising the diplomatic work done by actors who were not diplomats. In doing so it demonstrates the ways in which diplomacy was class-bound, gendered and racialized, and proves that historicizing gender and cultural norms is crucial to understanding political and international history.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2022-02-24
Mått:156 x 234 x 21 mm
Vikt:503 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:232
Förlag:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:9781350150744

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Mer om författaren

Susanna Erlandsson is a researcher at the Department of History of Uppsala University, Sweden, and editor-in-chief of the leading Swedish historical journal Historisk tidskrift. Her 2015 dissertation Window of Opportunity, a comparative study of Dutch and Swedish security ideas and strategies in the 1940s, won several awards. She has since published extensively on small states as well as on gender and diplomacy.

Recensioner i media

Susanna Erlandsson’s Personal Politics in the Postwar World is edifying and engaging in its research, narrative, and analysis. It neatly sheds new light on the role of personal politics within western post-war diplomacy and begins to fill a significant gap in recognising diplomatic wives’ roles in diplomacy after World War I… Any scholar of western diplomacy, particularly those interested in women’s experiences in the post-war period, will find this a fascinating read.

Innehållsförteckning

PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: The personal politics of daily diplomacyDiplomacy as a gendered institutionThe micro study as method: background and materialsConceptualizing trust as a bridge between personal and politicalSetting the scenePart I. The diplomatic couple1. The persistent notion of the incorporated wife2. In love and diplomacy3. Carte blanche? Diplomatic secrecy and marital trust4. The diplomatic couple as templateConcluding remarks on the diplomatic coupleII. The diplomatic home5. Homemaking for diplomats6. Domestic staff7. The home as a diplomatic arenaConcluding remarks on the diplomatic homePart III. Dinner diplomacy8. Dinner diplomacy as an everyday practice9. Diplomatic foodConcluding remarks on dinner diplomacyPart IV. Diplomatic aptitude10. Diplomatic appearances11. Diplomatic discourseConcluding remarks on diplomatic aptitudeConclusion: Behind the scenes of building the postwar worldEveryday power structures in Western diplomacyPolitical impact of personal relationsDiplomacy as a likeminded institutionBibliographyIndex