Mark Wheeler. 2011. Celebrity diplomacy: United Nations’ Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace. Celebrity Studies 2, 6-18
This article examines the meaning of celebrity
diplomacy. In particular, it discusses how this phenomenon has emerged from transition between state-centric to public forms of diplomatic initiatives. This
has led to debate about the credible use of celebrity forms of activism in
international political affairs.
To analyse this phenomenon, this article will
focus on the role and impact of the United Nations' (UN) Goodwill Ambassadors
and Messengers of Peace programmes. It refers to Andrew F. Cooper's concept of
‘celebrity diplomacy’ as an alternative form of agency and employs John
Street's framework of ‘celebrity performance’ to define how the UN has utilised
stars to draw attention to its activities. These examples demonstrate how
celebrity diplomats provide focus for causes to become integral in the sphere
of international diplomacy.
