Does Soft Power Look Different in Multinational Federations? International Education and Soft Power Politics in Canada/Quebec

Hannah Moscovitz*, Roopa Desai Trilokekar

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

While the study of soft power has gained significant scholarly attention, an understanding of soft power politics in diverse state models, and multinational federations specifically, is lacking. This study remedies this gap by exploring the connection between soft power and multinational federalism in the Canadian context, highlighting the tensions between the Canadian federal majority nation and Quebec's minority nation. Relying on the international education policy sphere and its soft power potential, the study extends the discussion of soft power beyond the typical unitary nation-state lens, elucidating the interaction of multiple (and contrasting) soft power rationales within one country. The study reveals that soft power politics can be exerted as much domestically as externally and can be pursued in a discorded fashion within a nation-state. Clearly, there is a need for a more nuanced understanding of soft power, which considers its contested manifestation, and the context-specific ways it is utilized.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCanadian Journal of Political Science
Volume57
Issue3
Pages (from-to)602-625
Number of pages24
ISSN0008-4239
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • international education policy
  • minority nationalism
  • multinational federalism
  • Quebec
  • soft power

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