Indigenous Dissent and PD During Russia’s War in Ukraine

In the latest issue of CPD Perspectives on Public Diplomacy, Dr. Anna Popkova, an Associate Professor at Western Michigan University School of Communication, demonstrates that non-state actors (NSAs) that challenge their respective states can claim a stake in their country’s public diplomacy.

In Indigenous Dissent and Public Diplomacy During Russia’s War in Ukraine: The Case of Free Buryatia Foundation, Popkova analyzes the Free Buryatia Foundation as a case study to explore how non-state actors can disrupt the hegemonic narratives created and disseminated by state actors, and present a more complex picture of political and social reality in their corresponding countries to foreign publics.

"Exploring how dissenting non-state actors engage in public diplomacy challenges us to think more critically and in more nuanced ways about the role and purpose of public diplomacy in today’s world, as well as the agency and capabilities of smaller actors in global politics," Popkova writes. "In turn, indigenous perspectives help illustrate how the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality and citizenship complicate the question of representation in public diplomacy, especially in times of war."

Download the full text here.