A Comparison Of The Cultural Diplomacy Policies Of France And The United Kingdom Towards African Countries

Abstract

France and the United Kindom are two former imperial states in Africa. Despite their colonial past, full of bitter memories in the African countries, they are still among the most influential states in the economy and politics of the African continent. Today, public opinion gained importance in shaping the foreign policies of the states. Perceptions, however, can not be considered separately than historical legacies. This thesis mainly argues that, the cultural diplomacy policies conducted by France and Great Britain as part of pulic diplomacy towards their ex-colonial states in Africa are highly influential in terms of generating positive perception of public opinion in these countries. The main sources of cultural diplomacy are education and language. Therefore, in this thesis, the education and language policies of France and Britain since the establishment of their first colonial administration in Africa are compared and the impact of their administrative differences on the education and language policies are analyzed. As a result, when compared to Great Britain, France is regarded as more successful in the implementation of more efficient and intensive education and language policies in the post-colonial period, therefore, achieving better results in affecting the public opinion in terms of economic and political matters in favor of French interests.