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Nation Branding in the Post-Communist World: Assessing the Field of Critical Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2021

Nadia Kaneva Open the ORCID record for Nadia Kaneva [Opens in a new window]
Nadia Kaneva*
Affiliation:
University of Denver, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In the second decade of the 21st century, the practices, discourses, and implications of nation branding have attracted growing interest from scholars in the humanities and social sciences seeking to understand the linkages between national identities, reputations, governance, and the phenomenon of nation branding. This strand of critical research, as opposed to instrumentalist approaches, is the focus of this review. In line with the scope of the journal, the review looks at nation branding research that relates to the countries of the former communist bloc. The analysis finds that the state of the field is fragmented due to its multi-disciplinary nature. It is also argued that the field may be suffering from methodological nationalism. The discussion identifies epistemological and theoretical approaches, pointing out gaps and limitations along the way. It is suggested that research in the field can be grouped into “identity studies” and “practice studies” as a way to better understand key theoretical influences. Finally, it is proposed that future research should look at nation branding both as a field of practice that merits critical examination in its own right and as a lens that can be used to investigate changes in the state of nationhood today.

Keywords

nation brandingnational identitynationhoodpost-communismneoliberalismnationalism
Type
State of the Field
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 49 , Issue 5 , September 2021 , pp. 797 - 807
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Association for the Study of Nationalities

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