Abstract
Science diplomacy has been an endeavoured
area of cooperation between Sweden and
South Africa despite Sweden’s reluctance
to practice science diplomacy. However, the
introduction of the South Africa-Sweden University
Forum (SASUF) in 2017 remains an underexplored
phenomenon of knowledge diplomacy.
Using Knight’s five characteristics of knowledge
diplomacy (focus on higher education, research,
and innovation; diversity of actors and partners;
recognition of different needs and the collective
use of resources; reciprocity; and the building and
strengthening of relations between states), this
paper argues that SASUF is an essential frontier
for knowledge diplomacy in the context of South
Africa-Sweden relations. The employment of
Knight’s framework finds that SASUF can indeed be
classified as an example of knowledge diplomacy. In
conclusion, a new research agenda on knowledge
diplomacy within the context of South Africa-
Sweden relations is proposed.