Branding in Modern History draws from a variety of international case studies, ranging from Austria and Switzerland to Chile, the US, China, Spain, Suriname, and Poland to investigate the nexus between cultural marketing, self-representation and political power by looking at current nation branding campaigns as well as its historical predecessors.

A recent coinage within international relations, "nation branding" designates the process of highlighting a country's positive characteristics for promotional purposes, using techniques similar to those employed in marketing and public relations. Nation Branding in Modern History takes an innovative approach to illuminating this contested concept, drawing on fascinating case studies in the United States, China, Poland, Suriname, and many other countries, from the nineteenth century to the present. It supplements these empirical contributions with a series of historiographical essays and analyses of key primary documents, making for a rich and multivalent investigation into the nexus of cultural marketing, self-representation, and political power.