In this paper I link the role of a practice, diplomatic drafting, with the construction of the professional identity of diplomats, which I have analyzed through ethnographic observation and interview data and through discourse analysis of a reflexive social media on the meaning of diplomatic work on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. This practice can be construed as diplomatic knowledge work and encompasses policy analysis, collective elaboration of a position, and knowledge sharing within the Ministry. However, the introduction in July, 1st 2014 of the new portal for diplomatic correspondence has impacted the practice of knowledge work, and more specifically two diplomatic practices: 1) the genres system within the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 2) knowledge sharing practices. Through ethnographic observation and interview data, I study the link between change, the construction of professional identity, and diplomatic knowledge work.
