Cultural diplomacy: A space for exploring multiple collaborations

This article presents a case of cultural diplomacy that highlights collaboration among multiple actors from three countries: Canada, Denmark, and Norway. Canadian (Québec) museums seek to draw inspiration from the organizational practices of Danish and Norwegian museums, which emphasize networking. This example of cultural diplomacy therefore illustrates a collaboration rooted in the exchange of best practices aimed at revisiting and improving local practices. The article presents the perspectives of individuals who participated in this project, which was not initially conceived as cultural diplomacy. Discussions and reflections following a Canadian team's mission to Denmark led to the realization that this was indeed cultural diplomacy—not one driven solely by heads of state, but rather by museum professionals and university professors. This article offers several avenues for reflection on the foundations of cultural diplomacy, particularly regarding whether it must always be planned and deliberate, or whether it can instead take shape organically within the context of certain projects.