Gary Rawnsley
banner
garydrawnsley.bsky.social
Gary Rawnsley
@garydrawnsley.bsky.social

Head of the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Lincoln. Research on propaganda, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy & soft power. Lover of all things literary. Has Crohn’s Disease. Views expressed here are mine & mine alone. .. more

Gary David Rawnsley is a British political scientist whose research is located at the intersection of international relations and international communication. Rawnsley writes extensively on soft power, public and cultural diplomacy, propaganda, international broadcasting, media and democracy, and political cinema. He is the author/editor of 13 scholarly books, and the book review editor of Journal of International Communication and International Journal of Taiwan Studies. Since 2023, he has been Professor of Public Diplomacy & Soft Power and Head of the School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Lincoln. From 2020 to 2022, Rawnsley was a professor of public diplomacy at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) of this university. .. more

Political science 46%
Sociology 25%
Pinned
Now available - the 2nd edition of my co-edited Routledge Handbook of Chinese Media. Covering the PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, & Macao + impact of Covid on the media, communications, & information landscape. More details available here: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Ha...
Routledge Handbook of Chinese Media
The new, second edition of this successful Handbook explores the growing and evolving field of Chinese media, offering a window through which to observe multi-directional flows of information, culture...
www.routledge.com
I can’t believe people in the room don’t push back. It doesn’t matter if he’s the president, part of holding him accountable is standing up to his bullying— especially if he’s doing it right in front of your face
“You’re a stupid person” — Trump lashes out at a reporter who presses him on the fact that the suspected DC shooter was actually thoroughly vetted before he was let in the US from Afghanistan

Delighted to announce that Clientelism, a new book by my School of Social & Political Sciences colleague Aris Trantidis, is now available. Published by @universitypress.cambridge.org this is a major new study that connects clientelism to democratic theory & electoral politics.

Many thanks to Wayne Wong for visiting University of Lincoln today to screen his new film Project Sifu - a fascinating project introducing martial arts &martial arts filmmaking to students at the University of Sheffield. More details about Project Sifu available here www.projectsifu.org.uk

Absolutely awful news from Hong Kong. Condolences to all who have lost loved ones. Thoughts with all survivors #HongKong www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...
Hong Kong fire: At least 13 dead as more than 700 firefighters tackle blaze
The fire has engulfed a number of buildings, with flames spreading on bamboo scaffolding. At least one firefighter is among the dead.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Gary D. Rawnsley

As part of the Budget, the Chancellor announced a £925 levy on international students from 2028 - estimated to cost universities £330 million per year.

The Government needs to help universities out of their financial pickle. Nicholas Barr has some ideas.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Financing universities – is there a way out of the maze? | British Politics and Policy at LSE
Universities are in a financial pickle. The only way out is for the Government to recoup more money from student loans than it currently does.
blogs.lse.ac.uk

Everyone in the School of Social & Political Sciences, Uni of Lincoln, are looking forward to the Open Day on Saturday. Come along & find out more about out fantastic programmes in Criminology, Politics (#7 according to the Guardian), International Relations (#18) & Sociology

Discovered in Lincoln City library - Paul Theroux’s fictional account of Eric Blair’s time as a policeman in Burma (before he became George Orwell). An enjoyable read so far #booksky
LBC @lbc.co.uk · 3d
‘The chill wind from the White House is already rippling through New Broadcasting House.’

@lewisgoodall.com reacts after the BBC edited out an anti-Trump line from a historian’s lecture.
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

Just finished reading Queen Esther by John Irving. Far better than The Last Chairlift, but still disappointing & unsatisfying. His novels are now a mere shadow of his former glories #booksly

A compelling argument that connects UK's commitment to foreign aid, a value-led foreign policy, & country's soft power capacity (& no discussion of culture or need for a 'soft power council'). Thank you, @emily4mk.bsky.social & @gareththomasmp.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/budge...
Yes, we must invest in defence – but not at the expense of our soft power
The government must not row back on its commitment to foreign aid in the budget next week - it’s a vital investment in a safer, stable and more prosperous world argue former ministers Emily Darlington...
www.independent.co.uk

I see growing interest in Cultural Diplomacy. I have written about cultural diplomacy in #Taiwan (in The Many Faces of Taiwan's Cultural Diplomacy), in #China (in my co-edited book Transnational Sites of Cultural Diplomacy) & in #Vietnam (in the 1st edn. of the Routledge Handbook of Soft Power)

Oh dear, silly season has started. The always awful Monocle soft power survey is published
monocle.com/affairs/dipl...
Monocle’s Soft Power Survey of 2025 - who is quietly gaining or losing influence in a multipolar world - Monocle
Which country’s cultural influence grew and whose slumped in the past 12 months? We take a look at six nations.
monocle.com

Reposted by Andrew Defty

The highlight of our Houses of Parliament-approved Parliamentary Studies module is the annual site visit for students. One of many reasons why our Politics programme is ranked #7 in the Guardian rankings. Many thanks to @adefty.bsky.social for leading & I hope all our students enjoyed their visit.
A privilege to take Lincoln Parliamentary Studies students to Parliament today. A great opportunity to learn about Parliament in the building and from those who work there.

Reposted by Gary D. Rawnsley

A privilege to take Lincoln Parliamentary Studies students to Parliament today. A great opportunity to learn about Parliament in the building and from those who work there.

Many thanks to Anelise Assumpção for delivering this week’s research seminar to the School of Social & Political Sciences. A visiting PhD student in the school Anelise discussed her research on “The production of judicial decisions: a comparative approach between Brazil and England”

Congratulations to Dr Mark Bennister, Honorary Senior Fellow in the School of Social & Political Sciences (Uni of Lincoln). The Constitution Society has published Mark’s essay on Labour government proposals for a digital ID scheme @consoc.bsky.social
Identity – The Crisis You Can’t See: Time for digital ID? - The Constitution Society
Mark Bennister investigates government proposals to introduce digital ID cards in this blog post for the Constitution Society.
consoc.org.uk

Thank you for replying

Oh, I’ve picked up Waiter in Paris a few times, tempted to buy it. Is it good?

Lucky to live in this gorgeous city. Our university graduation ceremonies take place in the Cathedral

Few films have stayed with me as much as Kurosawa’s beautiful, unsettling & hypnotic Dreams (1990) with its set pieces & use of colour. A masterpiece of cinema.

The Machine Gunners is my all time favourite. I never knew that a book for children could be so authentic. It changed my life

A stunning essay by Penelope Lively on the importance of children's literature. I first encountered Lively when I read The Ghost of Thomas Kempe 40+ years ago along with Robert Westall, Gene Kemp & Robert Swindells who all taught me what literature is & can be #Booksky
observer.co.uk/culture/book...

A mere footnote in Empire podcast’s wonderful mini series on George Orwell, but enough to pique my interest. I collected from the library Yashodhara Dalmia’s biography of Indian artist, Amrita Sher-Gil. A fascinating & productive but tragically brief life! @anitaanand.bsky.social

Congratulations to David Szalay, author of Flesh & winner of the 2025 Booker Prize. An excellent choice. @thebookerprizes.com

Happy birthday to one of the most important programmes in the history of television. Sesame Street has been transforming lives in the US & across the world for 56 years. It reflects the power of education, tolerance, inclusion & cultural diversity - values under attack today in too many places

Luke Turnock has also published (with Tim Piatkowski from Griffith University) “The new DNP”: Discussion of the experimental ‘fat burner’ BAM15 on bodybuilding forums and YouTube, again in Performance Enhancement & Health (14:1): www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Congratulations to School of Social & Political Sciences's Luke Turnock. His new new article (with PhD student Mikey Hirst) is in Performance Enhancement and Health: 'Off-label Semaglutide & GLP-1 weight-loss medicine use for anti-ageing' is available at
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Off-label Semaglutide & GLP-1 weight-loss medicine use for anti-ageing: A Netnography of older bodybuilders’ experiences and understandings
GLP-1 weight-loss medicines (e.g. Semaglutide; Tirzepatide) are increasingly prevalent, with many users accessing these drugs off-label through the in…
www.sciencedirect.com