Intercultural Experience, the Anglo-American Occupation and UNESCO in Germany 1945–1949

Elaine Morley*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Independent of each other, though contemporaneous, the Anglo-American occupiers of Germany and the newly founded United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization employed culture to foster greater intercultural and international understanding in 1945. Both enterprises separately saw culture as offering a means of securing the peace in the long term. This article compares the stated intentions and activities of the Anglo-American occupiers and UNESCO visà-vis transforming morals and public opinion in Germany for the better after World War II. It reconceptualizes themobilization of culture to transformGermany through engaging theories of cultural diplomacy and propaganda. It argues that rather than merely engaging in propaganda in the negative sense, elements of these efforts can also be viewed as propaganda in the earlier, morally neutral sense of the term, despite the fact that clear geopolitical aims lay at the heart of the cultural activities of both the occupiers and UNESCO.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)193-213
Number of pages21
JournalComparative Critical Studies
Volume13
Issue number2
Early online dateJun 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2016

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