Personal Politics in the Postwar World : Western Diplomacy Behind the Scenes

"Unravelling the mechanisms of daily diplomacy in the mid-20th century, this book follows one Dutch diplomatic couple, the van Kleffens, on their postings from the 1930s to the 1950s to offer a new perspective on how non-officials and personal politics shaped the postwar world. Combining private and public source materials, Erlandsson foregrounds the political culture of diplomacy and highlights events and people which have been left off the official record. The book integrates the detailed study of behind-the-scenes diplomatic practice into the larger narrative of traditional diplomatic history, connecting social practices with political outcomes. Exploring how women's tea drinking was used to achieve post-war foreign policy and how Rosa, a Guatemalan cook, contributed to the international standing of the Netherlands, it offers a more inclusive history by recognising the diplomatic work done by actors who were not diplomats. In doing so it demonstrates the ways in which diplomacy was class-bound, gendered and racialized, and proves that historicizing gender and cultural norms is crucial to understanding political and international history"-- Provided by publisher "This volume considers history as a foundational discipline in education. It shows how history is a means for exploring what it means to be human by considering those stories, sources, forces, and contexts that shape the way we construct narratives. History is more than content, no matter what we might recall from our experiences in schools. The volume shows how studying history is one means of uncovering why institutions, beliefs, policies, and practices are as they are. Educational structures are, like all things, mutable. History empowers the individual to be an actor in this process of change and to act judiciously. About the Educational Foundations series: Education, as an academic field taught at universities around the world, emerged from a range of older foundational disciplines. The Educational Foundations series comprises six volumes, each covering one of the foundational disciplines of philosophy, history, sociology, policy studies, economics and law. This is the first reference work to provide an authoritative and up-to-date account of all six disciplines, showing how each field's ideas, methods, theories and approaches can contribute to research and practice in education today. The six volumes cover the same set of key topics within education, which also form the chapter titles: - Mapping the Field - Purposes of Education - Curriculum - Schools and Education Systems - Learning and Human Development - Teaching and Teacher Education - Assessment and Evaluation This structure allows readers to study the volumes in isolation, by discipline, or laterally, by topic, and facilitates a comparative, thematic reading of chapters across the volumes. Throughout the series, attention is paid to how the disciplines comprising the educational foundations speak to social justice concerns such as gender and racial equality"-- Provided by publisher Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements Introduction The personal politics of daily diplomacy Diplomacy as a gendered institution The micro study as method: background and materials Conceptualizing trust as a bridge between personal and political Setting the scene Part One The Diplomatic Couple 1 The persistent notion of the incorporated wife 2 In love and diplomacy 3 Carte blanche? Diplomatic secrecy and marital trust 4 The diplomatic couple as template Concluding remarks on the diplomatic couple Part Two The Diplomatic Home 5 Homemaking for diplomats 6 Domestic staff 7 The home as a diplomatic arena Concluding remarks on the diplomatic home Part Three Dinner Diplomacy 8 Dinner diplomacy as an everyday practice 9 Diplomatic food Concluding remarks on dinner diplomacy Part Four Diplomatic Aptitude 10 Diplomatic appearances 11 Diplomatic discourse Concluding remarks on diplomatic aptitude Conclusion Behind the scenes of building the postwar world Everyday power structures in Western diplomacy Political impact of personal relationships Diplomacy as a likeminded institution Bibliography Index List of illustrations -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- The personal politics of daily diplomacy -- I. The diplomatic couple -- II. The diplomatic home -- III. Dinner diplomacy -- IV. Diplomatic aptitude -- Behind the scenes of building the postwar world -- Bibliography