Call For Submissions for Public Diplomacy Magazine

Public Diplomacy Magazine is now accepting submissions for its Winter 2013 issue on Sports Diplomacy.

The term ‘sports diplomacy’ refers to the use of sporting events and athletes as a means to engage and inform foreign publics about issues and to shape their perceptions about a country. Governments have long recognized the political importance of athletic success: the creation of the first Olympic festival in 776 B.C.E. was seen by the Greeks as an outlet to unify the civilized world in spite of political differences.



Today, sports diplomacy continues to provide for dialogue and mutual respect and awareness between peoples because of its ability to attract diverse fans and overcome cultural barriers. Indeed, sports have become a popular hobby around the world, effecting participant and viewer opinions on a range of topics: from race and gender to the role of the individual in society. These sporting events range from relatively small-scale sports exchanges that focus on youth to international competitions like the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.*

Yet, the scope, role and value of sports diplomacy have not been fully addressed in the academic literature on public diplomacy. To that end, Public Diplomacy Magazine has devoted its upcoming Winter 2013 issue entirely to the subject. For the first time, PD Mag is circulating an open call for submissions for articles concerning sports diplomacy. Please see below for information regarding the guidelines for submission.

Submission Guidelines

PD Mag will accept two types of submission:

1. Features
2,500-3,000-word essays suited for this issue focus on sports diplomacy as a sub-category of public diplomacy and can be submitted in the form of a theoretical working paper, comparative study or a history of sports diplomacy practiced internationally.

To submit a feature for this issue, an abstract must first be approved by Public Diplomacy Magazine’s Senior Editors by October 10, 2012. The preliminary review process will take one week. Upon approval, the author will be sent formatting guidelines to follow when submitting the final piece.

2. Case Studies
Case studies between 1,000 and 1,500 words focused on practical aspects of sports diplomacy: events, campaigns, etc.

DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 9, 2012
This is a limited call for papers on sports diplomacy and submissions will not be accepted for review after November 9, 2012.

Approval
Once approval is issued via email, a final proofing and layout process will take place followed by a print run and/or appearance on the PD Magazine website.

Questions about content and ideas, logistics and final submissions should be directed to apds@usc.edu.

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About Public Diplomacy Magazine
Public Diplomacy Magazine is the first publication of its kind devoted entirely to the field of public diplomacy, published biannually by the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars at the University of Southern California since 2009 with support from the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the School of International Relations within the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

PD Mag features analysis of public diplomacy trends and practices, case studies, and interviews written by leading scholar as well as practitioners in the field. Previous authors have included Joseph Nye, Jr., Sen. Richard Lugar and former Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy James Glassman.

*For more references on the definition of sports diplomacy please see: J. Goldberg “Sporting Diplomacy: Boosting the Size of the Diplomatic Corps” The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 23, N.4, Autumn 2000, pp. 63-70; S. Murray “Sports-Diplomacy: a hybrid of two halves” paper submitted to The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2011. Institute for Cultural Diplomacy; “What is Sports Diplomacy?” Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. U.S. Department of State, 2012. Retrieved from: exchanges.state.gov/sports/diplomacy.html