Extending the debate on the role of social media in international politics in general, and online diplomatic participation in particular, this paper seeks to conceptualise the communicative modalities for public engagement with foreign policy issues at the crossroads of public diplomacy and transnational activism. Specifically, I theorise the emergence of ‘diplotainment’, a campaigning genre that mixes mimicry of diplomatic officialdom with the affective power of promotionally-styled counter-narratives.

With some recent exceptions, demands for global reparations have largely been ignored by former colonial countries. While the past two decades has seen renewed interest in colonial reparations in normative political theory and philosophy, this work has focused on determining responsibility for redress. By contrast, relatively little has been said on the further question of how redress might be sought in face of persistent colonial amnesia and apologia.

Professor Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the “Godfather of AI”, will deliver the University of Oxford’s annual public Romanes lecture, discussing whether digital intelligence will replace biological intelligence. Monday 19 February at 5.30pm, register now. #RomanesLecture