Understanding soft power discourse in the National Library of Australia
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-11-2021-0231 |
| Published date | 08 March 2022 |
| Date | 08 March 2022 |
| Pages | 1457-1475 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management,Classification & cataloguing,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Scholarly communications/publishing,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
| Author | Emilia C. Bell |
Understanding soft power
discourse in the National Library
of Australia
Emilia C. Bell
University of Southern Queensland Library, Ipswich, Australia and
Charles Sturt University CSU, Albury, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –This paper presents research that sought to understand how the National Library of Australia
engages with soft power in its Annual Report 2019–20. Driving the analysis was the research question: How is
soft power discourse reproduced and enacted in the National Library of Australia’s Annual Report 2019–20?
The research recognises the significance of Australia’s soft power, cultural diplomacy, and regional
relationships to national interest in the context of a library’s contributions to these areas.
Design/methodology/approach –The study employs a qualitative discourse analysis, with constructivist
and interpretivist perspectives. A critical discourse analysis was undertaken that applied a discourse-historical
approach.
Findings –The findings suggest that the National Library of Australia primarily engages with soft power
discourse through the construction and preservation of an Australian national identity. National identity is
framed as key to the Library’s collection development, with Australian knowledge prioritised.
Originality/value –This study extends on research addressing the roles of galleries, archives, and museums
in cultural diplomacy, but rarely examines soft power and libraries explicitly or in a contemporary context. It
contributes to broader understandings of libraries in international relations and the role they can play in soft
power attraction and cultural diplomacy.
Keywords National libraries, Soft power, Cultural diplomacy, Critical discourse analysis,
Discourse historical approach, National identity
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
National libraries are considered integral to the construction of a nation-state’s identity, as
they preserve cultural and documentary heritage and communicate narratives of political
and historical legitimacy (Byrne, 2007, pp. 17–18). As libraries, and other cultural institutions,
engage in public and cultural diplomacy, international partnerships, and cultural-political
discourse (Prieto-Gutierrez, 2015;Prieto-Gutierrez and Segado-Boj, 2016), the capacity for soft
power agency in their roles is evident (Mariano and V
arheim, 2021). Indeed, the intangible
values, institutions, and policies promoted through soft power are considered attractive to
adopt because they are recognised or represented as having political legitimacy or moral
authority (Nye, 2004, p. 6). Increasingly, libraries’contributions to international relations and
soft power are recognised, though literature explicitly addressing this phenomenon is limited
(Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), 2018;Harris and Thaler, 2020;
Mariano and V
arheim, 2021).
This researchpaper contributes a study of the National Library ofAustralia (NLA) and its
soft power discourse to the Library and Information Science (LIS) literature. It aims to
contribute an understanding of the discursiverole of libraries in soft power and international
relations.It is undertaken from a LIS perspective, while drawingon the InternationalRelations
concept of “soft power”, and by extension, public and cultural diplomacy. Soft power is
Understanding
soft power
discourse
1457
The author would like to sincerely thank Dr. Mary Anne Kennan for her valuable insights, guidance, and
the generosity of her time in the development of this research paper.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0022-0418.htm
Received 26 November 2021
Revised 11 February 2022
Accepted 12 February 2022
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 78 No. 6, 2022
pp. 1457-1475
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-11-2021-0231
increasingly considered significant to representing Australia’s interests in the Asia–Pacific
region (Grincheva, 2019, p. 745). Regional relationships between galleries, libraries, archives,
and museums (GLAM) may strengthen political bonds and cultural understanding (ALIA,
2018).Thus, the purpose and significanceof this research’scontribution liesbeyond addressing
substantivegaps in the research related to librariesand soft power. It seeks to provide insight
and increased understanding of an Australian knowledge institution’s engagement with soft
powerdiscourse. Insights gainedfrom this research maybe useful for libraries,library funders,
and the community to understand how the NLA, and potentially other national and state
libraries, can contribute to international relations.
This introduction proceeds to outline key definitions and the research question. It is
followed by a review of the literature. In this paper, “discursive”refers to how social practices,
subjects, or constructs may be constituted or expressed through discourse (Hutchison and
Bleiker, 2017;Solomon, 2017). Discourse is considered as both a social practice itself and as a
representation of social practice (Van Leeuwen, 1993), the latter being knowledge formation
(Bacchi and Bonham, 2014, p. 174). Power is approached “as constituted through discourse”
(Solomon, 2017, p. 501).
Key definitions
Originally popularised by Nye (1990,2004), soft power involves indirect or co-optive
behaviour that uses “attraction rather than coercion or payments”, to set the agenda and
influence preferences. Traditional understandings of power have emphasised hard power
and such understandings focus on military and economic influence as tangible resources that
can measured in “hard”or quantifiable terms (McClory, 2015, p. 8). Conversely, soft power
resources include political values, culture, and foreign policy to shape other’s preferences and
draw attraction (Nye, 2004, p. 11). Thus, soft power is associated with “intangible resources
like institutions, ideas, values, culture, and perceived legitimacy of policies”(2011, p. 19). Such
intangible resources bring cultural diplomacy into soft power discourse (Kim, 2017, pp. 294–
295), whereby creative and knowledge pursuits are cultural exports. Here, the promotion of
culture to international audiences sees culture becomes a tool for advancing “Australia’s
interests, soft power and influence”(Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), n.d.).
Cultural diplomacy, then, is the promotion of national culture internationally, to build support
for national ideas, interests, values, policy, and institutions (Maack, 2001, p. 50), positioning
them as legitimate and attractive.
Research question
Building on constructivist and interpretivist perspectives toward soft power, language, and
identity, this research was guided by the following question:
RQ1. How is soft power discourse reproduced and enacted in the National Library of
Australia’sAnnual Report 2019–20?
This question positions the findings to contribute an understanding of soft power’s imprecise
and qualitative aspects. This includes how the NLA discourse reproduces soft power
narratives, informed by concepts of n ational identity and values (Nye, 1999). The
interpretivist and constructivist orientation of the proposed research challenges the
demand for causal explanations of soft power, instead enabling a discursive
understanding (Lamont, 2015, p. 20, p. 26). Consequently, this study aims to consider soft
power discourse through the language surrounding national identity, culture, and memory.
Through this, it contributes to an understanding of the soft power agency of national
libraries, and their possible role and impact in international relations more broadly.
JD
78,6
1458
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