A History of UNESCO - by Poul Duedahl

Book Synopsis

The mission UNESCO, as defined just after the end of World War II, is to build 'the defenses of peace in the minds of men'. In this book, historians trace the routes of selected UNESCO mental engineering initiatives from its headquarters in Paris to the member states, to assess UNESCO's global impact.

From the Back Cover

The mission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as defined just after the end of World War II, is to construct intellectual and moral solidarity in order to build 'the defenses of peace' in the minds of men and women. The Organization has therefore carried out a considerable amount of mental engineering.

Historians have so far uncovered the roots of many of the soft power initiatives launched to construct sincere solidarity between people, but we still know very little about their impact. In this publication, leading historians within the field trace the routes of selected initiatives from the center to the periphery - from UNESCO's headquarters in Paris to the member states - to assess UNESCO's global impact from World War II and up till today.

Review Quotes

"Duedahl (Aalborg Univ., Denmark) has gathered a highly knowledgeable cadre of international scholars and experts in the field to write this comprehensive overview of the work of UNESCO. ... For scholars of the effects of globalization and the efforts of the UN in the post-WW II world. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above." (M. W. Quirk, Choice, Vol. 54 (5), January, 2017)

About the Author

Poul Duedahl is Professor of History at the Department of Culture and Global Studies at Aalborg University, Denmark, and Director of the Global History of UNESCO Project sponsored by the Danish Council for Independent Research. He received the History Book of the Year Award in Denmark in 2013.