Driving cars through Europe and the Sahara Desert to sell them in Niger and exploring China and Russia on the Trans-Siberia Express (1992) as a student, I quickly realised that what we think we know about the world is very superficial, cliché, and stereotype. This made me embark on a PhD supervised by Erasmus University Rotterdam professor Frank M. Go (may he rest in peace), to whom I am forever grateful for suggesting the classic literature on this page. Now I advise governments, I am founding chairman of the International Place Branding Association, co-editor of the journal of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, and a passionate visiting scholar in Beijing, London, Milan, Rotterdam, and Turin.
I wrote
Imaginative Communities: Admired Cities, Regions and Countries
This is one of the few books that I read as a student that has stayed with me.
What struck me at the time and still today is Anderson’s elaborate illustration that civic identity and pride are imagined and manipulated. His analysis specifically deals with nationalism as being socially constructed within a community (through the printed narrative of the nation, shared language, museums, and education systems).
The nation is something that is imagined as a comradeship by the people who perceive themselves as part of it, even when they do not know most of the other members.
This is why I write about imaginative communities with the aim to advance the idea of Anderson’s Imagined Communities; to make the local relevant globally as well as locally.
What are the imagined communities that compel men to kill or to die for an idea of a nation? This notion of nationhood had its origins in the founding of the Americas, but was then adopted and transformed by populist movements in nineteenth-century Europe. It became the rallying cry for anti-Imperialism as well as the abiding explanation for colonialism. In this scintillating, groundbreaking work of intellectual history Anderson explores how ideas are formed and reformulated at every level, from high politics to popular culture, and the way that they can make people do extraordinary things. In the twenty-first century, these…
My dear colleague Simon Anholt is the founding father of the idea of the city, region or nation as brand.
He created the Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index and the Good Country Index; has written extensively on the subject; and has inspired me throughout my career. In his latest book The Good Country Equationhe clearly proves – through the data that he’s collected – that for places to be admired, they have to be admirable.
In other words, places are respected for what they contribute to humanity and the planet, not for their propaganda. This is obviously an important discovery that forces governments and their stakeholders to focus on meaningful strategy, policy and cooperation as opposed to image promotion.
I also enjoyed reading Simon’s book as he shares his personal experiences as a government advisor.
"Not only does Anholt explain the challenges facing the world with unique clarity, he also provides genuinely new, informative, practical, innovative solutions. . . . The book is a must-read for anyone who cares about humanity's shared future." --H. E. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmaajo), President of the Federal Republic of Somalia
Why doesn't the world work? Why, despite all the power, technology, money and knowledge that humanity has accumulated, are we are still unable to defeat global challenges like climate change, war, poverty, migration, extremism, and inequality?
Simon Anholt has spent decades helping countries from Austria to Zambia to improve…
Boorstin’s classic work got me hooked onto the idea of the importance of city, region, and country reputation.
Just imagine Boorstin’s visionary insights when – in 1962! – he argues that “we are ruled by extravagant expectations: of what the world holds... how exotic the nearby can be, how familiar the exotic can become... of the closeness of places and the farness [sic] of places… [and…] of our power to shape the world… to fabricate national purposes when we lack them, to pursue these purposes after we have fabricated them… we have become so accustomed to our illusions that we mistake them for reality... we demand them… and we demand that there be always more of them... They are the world of our making: the world of the image.”
All this, pre-internet already convinced me that image is just as important as reality, if not more so, due to the impact of media. Now, sixty years after Boorstin’s Image – but incorporating its insights – I am overwhelmed by the impact social media, artificial intelligence and the metaverse will have on how we see the world, our neighbours, and communities beyond.
First published in 1962, this wonderfully provocative book introduced the notion of “pseudo-events”—events such as press conferences and presidential debates, which are manufactured solely in order to be reported—and the contemporary definition of celebrity as “a person who is known for his well-knownness.” Since then Daniel J. Boorstin’s prophetic vision of an America inundated by its own illusions has become an essential resource for any reader who wants to distinguish the manifold deceptions of our culture from its few enduring truths.
Another classic work that inspired my passion for the domain that I work in.
Saïd thoroughly illustrates how media agenda setting and framing, socio-cultural biases and generalisation impact the way we see the world. It is largely driven by clichés and stereotypes. What is needed is “respect for the concrete detail of human experience, understanding that arises from viewing the Other compassionately, knowledge gained and diffused through moral and intellectual honesty.”
The seminal work that has redefined our understanding of colonialism and empire, with a preface by the author
'Stimulating, elegant and pugnacious' Observer 'Magisterial' Terry Eagleton
In this highly-acclaimed work, Edward Said surveys the history and nature of Western attitudes towards the East, considering orientalism as a powerful European ideological creation - a way for writers, philosophers and colonial administrators to deal with the 'otherness' of eastern culture, customs and beliefs. He traces this view through the writings of Homer, Nerval and Flaubert, Disraeli and Kipling, whose imaginative depictions have greatly contributed to the West's romantic and exotic picture of…
Keith Dinnie is another respected colleague who has written about the city, region, and nation as brand since the twentieth century.
It is clear that his book Nation Branding is the go-to handbook and reference guide for students, practitioners, and academics interested and working in the domain of “place branding” as it is now already in its third edition. Dinnie’s book is usually on my desk in case I need to look up definitions, sources, or specific insights and cases.
Contributors include some of the most well-established professionals in the field.
Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice provides a theoretical framework, alongside insightful examples from the practice of nation banding, in which the principles of brand strategy and management are applied to countries globally. This new edition has been comprehensively updated and its influential original framework modified to reflect the very latest changes in the field. It remains an accessible blend of theory and practice rich with international examples and contributions.
Updates to this edition:
New Academic Perspectives and Practitioner Insights in each chapter
Updated and new cases from a broad range of nations and cultures
Fresh coverage of online branding and…
This award-winning jargon-free book is written for readers who want to understand why some communities, cities, regions, and countries are admired and others are not; for anyone who feels that the way in which their community is perceived is too negative, clichéd or stereotypical; and for those people who want to find out what can be done about it.
Booklife Reviews has stated that 'this book will thrill leaders, planners, globalists, policymakers and sociologists with practical steps for implementing creative ideas that will invigorate community spirit and build reputation'.
I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, large and small. Why things functioned well, why they didn’t. It’s possible my ability to empathize and use humor as a consensus-builder is the reason I was elected president of a homeowners association, a music production association, and even an agricultural group. Books were not particularly involved in this fascination! But in recent years, experiencing the breakdown of civility and trust in our political and cultural discourse, I’ve taken a more analytical view of the dynamics. These books, in their very different ways, have taught me lessons about life, understanding those with different beliefs, and finding ways to connect and move forward.
We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike.
My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and modern-day causes of our nation's divisive state. It then proposes easy-to-understand solutions—an action plan for our elected leaders and citizens as well. Rather than a scholarly treatment of a complex topic, the book challenges us to take the obvious steps required of those living in a free democracy. And it…
Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation
Lyle Greenfield's "Uniting the States of America―A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation" is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Incorporating the lessons of history and the ideas and wisdom of many, it is intended as both an educational resource and a call-to-action for citizens concerned about the politically and culturally divided state of our Union. A situation that has raised alarm for the very future of our democracy.
First, the book clearly identifies the causes of what has become a national crisis of belief in and love for our country. How the divisiveness and hostility rampant in our political…
