Gary Rawnsley
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garydrawnsley.bsky.social
Gary Rawnsley
@garydrawnsley.bsky.social

Head of the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Lincoln. Research on propaganda, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy & soft power. Lover of all things literary. Has Crohn’s Disease. Views expressed here are mine & mine alone. .. more

Gary David Rawnsley is a British political scientist whose research is located at the intersection of international relations and international communication. Rawnsley writes extensively on soft power, public and cultural diplomacy, propaganda, international broadcasting, media and democracy, and political cinema. He is the author/editor of 13 scholarly books, and the book review editor of Journal of International Communication and International Journal of Taiwan Studies. Since 2023, he has been Professor of Public Diplomacy & Soft Power and Head of the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Lincoln. From 2020 to 2022, Rawnsley was a professor of public diplomacy at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) of this university. .. more

Political science 46%
Sociology 25%
Pinned
Now available - the 2nd edition of my co-edited Routledge Handbook of Chinese Media. Covering the PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, & Macao + impact of Covid on the media, communications, & information landscape. More details available here: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Ha...
Routledge Handbook of Chinese Media
The new, second edition of this successful Handbook explores the growing and evolving field of Chinese media, offering a window through which to observe multi-directional flows of information, culture...
www.routledge.com

Lost count of my re-watches. Didn't like the Zoe kidnapping story, but that was a minor blip. I also think that Arnie Vinick should have won in Season 7. BUT still brilliant and the photo you show is from one of my favourite episodes. Poor Mrs Landingham and the story of her "boys".

Today’s reading: John Carey’s gloriously piercing critique of English literature in the first half of the 20th century #booksky

In 2012 I wrote this blog about a 1955 radio programme, hosted by Bing Crosby & broadcast around the world by the Voice of America. At the end of an awful year for #VoA I repost it here & send my best wishes to everyone associated with that remarkable station wwwpdic.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-ch...
A Christmas Sing with Bing
Christmas has a smell. For some, it may be mince pies or a turkey roasting in the oven; for others, pine or holly. For me, Christmas smells ...
wwwpdic.blogspot.com

Grew up listening to Bing Crosby Christmas albums from the 1950s. One song was Happy Holidays - doesn’t mention Xmas once

‘Better off with #Taiwan’: Honduras joins other Latin American countries rethinking ties with #China’ - effect of broken promises & shifting geopolitics

Reflecting & communicating #Taiwan’s considerable soft power @audreyt.org discusses how she has built Taiwan’s digital diplomacy capacity & safeguards democratic resilience

Reposted by Gary D. Rawnsley

‘Better off with Taiwan’: Honduras joins other Latin American countries rethinking ties with China
‘Better off with Taiwan’: Honduras joins other Latin American countries rethinking ties with China
US pressure, broken promises by China and corruption scandals have halted Taiwan’s slide to diplomatic irrelevance in the region
www.theguardian.com

An excellent blog by Neal Rosendorf that presents 'A Post-Trump Domestic Policy Roadmap to Restore U.S. Soft Power. The author understands that soft power is not based on culture but on political institutions, values, behaviours & a recommitment to democracy. uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/post-tr...
A Post-Trump Domestic Policy Roadmap to Restore U.S. Soft Power
Neal Rosendorf outlines a post-Trump bipartisan plan to restore America’s reputation and soft power.
uscpublicdiplomacy.org

Reposted by Andrew Defty

Delighted my new article published by Social & Cultural History is available open access. The title is 'Chance of a Lifetime (1950): Class, Collaboration, & the Shifting Landscape of British Cinema'. Many thanks to all who gave feedback especially the reviewers. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Chance of a Lifetime (1950): Class, Collaboration, and the Shifting Landscape of British Cinema
Chance of a Lifetime (1950) examines entrenched class hierarchies while dramatising the socio-economic realities of post-war Britain. This article explores how the film reframes class relations thr...
www.tandfonline.com

Very sad to learn John Carey has died. A towering intellect & a champion of the arts. Love his What Good are the Arts? and his memoir, An Unexpected Professor.

Following the recent wonderful @empirepoduk.bsky.social miniseries on Rudyard Kipling, just picked up my copy of Andrew Lycett's biography. That's my Xmas reading sorted! @anitaanand.bsky.social @willdalrymple.bsky.social

I really recommend Left Handed Girl. Amazing performances by the three main actresses but Nina Ye is outstanding; and an incredible number of supporting actors (Chao Xin-Yan especially). Heartbreaking, uplifting, inspirational, funny.
This movie helped me understand myself and my background and my upbringing in a way that I have yet to fully process.

Amazing filmmaking and the left-handed girl will steal your heart.

Many thanks to HE The Deputy Ambassador of Kuwait for speaking with colleagues & students from the School of Social & Political Sciences. We discussed a range of issues, inc. history of Kuwait-UK diplomatic relations, education as an engine of deepening relations & role of experts in foreign policy

Loved this on a Sunday morning in the '70s. It is a forgotten gems of children's television.

Reposted by Gary D. Rawnsley

This movie helped me understand myself and my background and my upbringing in a way that I have yet to fully process.

Amazing filmmaking and the left-handed girl will steal your heart.

👇 Happening tomorrow (Friday). There is still time to register ...
Join us on 12 December as the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Lincoln, hosts a discussion with the Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of Kuwait ("Bridging Academia & Diplomacy"). Register here:

forms.office.com/pages/respon...

An interesting blog from Austin Paul writing for @lseblogs.bsky.social on the Soft Power of the Papacy. Focus on behaviours and values - real source of soft power. blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglob...
Soft Power and the Papacy: Pope Francis in the Context of Right-Wing Populist Nationalism in Italy and Europe - Religion and Global Society
Since Pope Francis’ death and the election of new Pope Robert Francis Prevost (Leo XIV), discussions have ensued amongst scholars on the relevance of the papacy in modern-day international relations. ...
blogs.lse.ac.uk

Just finished Don't Burn Anyone at the Stake Today by @naomialderman.bsky.social. One of the most meaningful books I have read in a while - one that has made me pause & reflect on my own behaviours. Also timely on the day #Australia begins its ban on children using most social media.

Post a book you love from the 80s. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky #bookchallenge #readingchallenge #readingcommunity #booktok #bookish #books

A powerful indictment of the lack of progress for women in South Korea & elsewhere - in the workplace, school, & at home. The final sentence will stay with me. #booksky

Call for Papers! The new journal Politics & Security Governance is planning a special issue on Digital Maoism: The Revival of Left Populism, Cultural Memory, & Coded Resistance in Contemporary #China. More details here porcelainpublishing.com/journal/PSG/...

What a wonderful documentary film. Belated happy 100th birthday, @newyorker.com Never stop being élitist (see what I did there?) @netflix.com

Congratulations to everyone Beijing decides has won the election in Hong Kong www.bbc.com/news/article...
LegCo: Hong Kong votes in election as city mourns deadly fire - BBC News
The Legislative Council election is seen as a test of public sentiment following a deadly fire.
www.bbc.com

As #Crohns & Colitis Awareness Week draws to a close, it is important to understand our experiences of #IBD. Thanks to @crohnscolitisfdn.bsky.social @getyourbellyout.bsky.social for all your work & support

Anyone who loves literature, books, authors, & listening to authors talk about their work & writing process, listen to the Always Take Notes podcast. Following their conversation with Paul Theroux I have just finished Burma Sahib. So many great recommendations here #booksky

I am always proud of alumni from the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Lincoln. Here is former Politics student Joey Gwinn, a Parliamentary Assistant & political commentator, writing about proposals to achieve peace in #Ukraine.
www.europinion.uk/post/the-pea...
The Peace Deal Amounts To A De-facto Russian Surrender, And Prophecies The War’s Imminent End
When a conflict is in its twilight hours, its final death throes often manifest as an exponentially rapid alteration in at least one of its combatant’s positions, be they military or diplomatic. In th...
www.europinion.uk

My Bagpuss.

#Taiwan be careful what you wish for & who you trust. The Presidential Office may say US & Taiwan share 'values of democracy freedom & respect for human rights' but if Trump does not respect those values at home why would you suppose he supports them elsewhere?
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Taiwan cheered, China upset after Trump signs new Taiwan legislation into law
Taiwan expressed thanks and China was upset on Wednesday after President Donald Trump signed into law legislation requiring the U.S. State Department to regularly review and update guidelines on how t...
www.reuters.com

Just got my copy of Autocracy 2.0 & looking forward to reading it. Many congratulations to @proflind.bsky.social on it’s publication.