How did cultural diversity become a buzzword fraught with tension? And what do the controversies surrounding it reveal about contemporary policy making? Producing Cultural Diversity investigates these questions through an empirical analysis of the negotiations that produced the recent UNESCO convention on cultural diversity. Taking an ethnographic approach, Ulrike Niedner-Kalthoff highlights how officials first framed the policy issue of cultural diversity and then negotiated an authoritative text, mobilized support, and organized legitimate representation. A significant contribution to the anthropology of contemporary statehood and global governance, this book will be a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners of international relations.