People's Diplomacy: The Transformation of U.S.-China Relations in the Cold War

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13426
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 06020:International relations-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Minami Kazushi 大阪大学, 大学院国際公共政策研究科, 准教授 (80865197)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 米中関係 / 中国系アメリカ人 / クエーカー教徒 / ニューレフト

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The main result of this research was published as a single-authored book, titled People's Diplomacy: How Americans and Chinese Transformed US-China Relations during the Cold War, published opne-access by Cornell University Press in 2023. Other results were published as articles in peer-reviewed journals in English, such as Diplomatic History and Cold War History. One article is currently under review. In addition, one chapter was published in an edited volume. Through these results, this research has promoted understanding of U.S.-China relations in the 1970s that went beyond the conventional focus on government-to-government relations.

Free Research Field

国際関係史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究を通じて、冷戦変容期（1970年代）、アメリカと中国が非国家アクターを通じて非公式な外交関係を構築した過程、すなわち「人民外交」の展開を明らかにすることができた。冷戦期の敵対関係を克服するため、米中政府は非国家アクターを利用し、経済・文化・教育の様々な分野で交流活動を活発化させることで、両国関係の改善を図った。本研究は、米中両国の幅広い史料を用い、これまで主に政府間外交の枠組で論じられてきた冷戦期米中関係の変容を、人民外交という新しい視点から再考察することで、現代米中関係への従来の理解を覆すことができたと言える。