Introduction: Theorising diplomatic training

This chapter introduces diplomatic training as a subject for research and conceptualises it as a political and pedagogical encounter. It puts forward the key argument of the book: that, whilst often overlooked, diplomatic training is a crucial site in the making of international relations. Training provision reflects hegemonic visions of the international world and the priorities of the funders, whether provided for domestic cohorts or those internationally as part of development aid packages. However, in bringing together trainers and learners in the classroom, diplomatic training also offers opportunities for mutual learning and for the contestation of hegemonic visions of the present and future of international relations. This chapter introduces the volume and contributors and sets out a brief global history of diplomacy and diplomatic training, and places training in the context of other forms of international education and knowledge making. The chapter addresses the politics and geographies which complete the book’s title, drawing together the contributions of this book to demonstrate that, as an inherently political practice, diplomatic training can shed valuable light on complex power relations operating at scales from the individual to the international.