What can a postage stamp tell us about diplomacy? More than you might think.

The first thing that comes to our mind when we think of performative diplomacy is the active use of social media by heads of state, foreign ministers, and diplomats through the sharing of images, reels, and selfies. It’s an established fact that the afterlives of digital media persist and thrive longer than the diplomatic event itself.

So where do the tiny postage stamps fit into this story? Postage stamps may seem odd to a lot of folks now, as stamps are considered a relic of a bygone era. Yet, I would argue that stamps were (and in some cases continue to be) an important component of a state’s performative diplomacy. Countries have long used stamps to commemorate political leaders, wars, alliances, national achievements, and key diplomatic events, giving these moments a wider public visibility and acceptance. Thus, postage stamps are tiny visual archives, a photo album of how a state chooses to represent itself.