This study explores the role of cultural diplomacy in Al-Farabi’s political philosophy, specifically the strategic function of orators and poets in his “virtuous city.” By analyzing Farabi’s theory of the imaginative faculty (al-quwwah al-mutakhayyilah), the research argues that these groups are central to governance, serving as intermediaries who translate intellectual truths into sensory and persuasive forms. The study posits that Farabi’s framework offers a pre-modern model of cultural diplomacy—not as mere artistic exchange, but as an epistemological process for communicating rational truth across communities, thereby integrating aesthetics into the structure of ideal governance.
Nuri,A and MAFTOUNI,N . (2026). Foundations of Cultural Diplomacy in Farabi’s Political Philosophy. Islamic Political Thought, 13(2), 23-43. doi: 10.30497/ipt.2026.250540.1074
MLA
Nuri,A , and MAFTOUNI,N . "Foundations of Cultural Diplomacy in Farabi’s Political Philosophy", Islamic Political Thought, 13, 2, 2026, 23-43. doi: 10.30497/ipt.2026.250540.1074
HARVARD
Nuri A, MAFTOUNI N. (2026). 'Foundations of Cultural Diplomacy in Farabi’s Political Philosophy', Islamic Political Thought, 13(2), pp. 23-43. doi: 10.30497/ipt.2026.250540.1074
CHICAGO
A Nuri and N MAFTOUNI, "Foundations of Cultural Diplomacy in Farabi’s Political Philosophy," Islamic Political Thought, 13 2 (2026): 23-43, doi: 10.30497/ipt.2026.250540.1074
VANCOUVER
Nuri A, MAFTOUNI N. Foundations of Cultural Diplomacy in Farabi’s Political Philosophy. Islamic Political Thought. 2026;13(2):23-43. doi: 10.30497/ipt.2026.250540.1074
Islamic Political Thought