ABSTRACT
The history of the Brazilian American Cultural Institute (Baci) enables us to learn about aspects of Brazilian cultural diplomacy in the United States during the Cold War period. The hypothesis presented here is that the spaces of art and culture functioned as important social engagement environments for diplomatic and commercial activities, with Baci being a very revealing case of this process. However, this reality changed in the contemporary globalized world, as artistic and cultural spaces seem to have ceased to be vital for the practice of cultural diplomacy, as the closing of Baci reveals.
KEYWORDS:
Brazilian American Cultural Institute; Baci; Brazilian cultural diplomacy in the United States; Brazilian art in the United States; José Menache Neistein