Global Citizenship: Beyond Nationalism in the Interconnected World - Essay Sample

Introduction

For many years, people across various fields such as sports and education have been encouraged to embrace nationalism due to the tendency of countries to compete against each other in these fields. However, in recent years, developments in trade and technology have made the world to become interconnected, thereby challenging nationalism. The idea of global citizenship is increasingly growing owing to the interconnectedness and interdependence among countries as people seek to identify themselves with the emerging global society and uphold its values. With that in mind, this paper defines the concept of global citizenship, assesses this concept in the context of the current technological advancements, its benefits and outcomes, and explores some personal events that demonstrate the development into a global citizen.

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Before evaluating the concept of global citizenship, it is prudent to clarify the concepts of globalization and globalism. Globalization, on one hand, is the interdependence of people, societies and economies worldwide, which is facilitated by the delocalization of the means of production, trade, investment flows in foreign lands, and technology (“Globalization at a Crossroads”, 2016). Conversely, globalism is the philosophy of neoliberalism, where the global market rules but results in socio-economic inequalities and loss of cultural identity (Arditi, 2004).

Reysen and Katzarska-Miller (2013) described global citizenship as the acceptance, consideration and cognizance of cultural diversity whilst encouraging a sense of responsibility to act, sustainability and social justice. Technological advancements have enhanced communication globally. As a global citizen, I am cognizant that technological advancements in another country will affect me, thereby implying that I have a responsibility to act. The responsibility is mainly in the form of communicating ideas to others, solving problems, decision-making and critical thinking. These responsibilities enable me to become resourceful and flexible, which are crucial qualities that will enable me to achieve my academic, professional and personal objectives.

Reysen and Katzarska-Miller (2013) continued to state that theorists have disagreed about the definition of global citizenship since they come from different disciplines such as educational, developmental, theological and political. For instance, theorists in education may focus on global awareness while philosophy theorists may stress ethics and morality. Considering these varied perspectives, I can define global citizenship as a way of life that is cognizant of the world as an environment characterized by a network of connections and whose choices result in outcomes such as environmental sustainability, social justice and appreciating diversity. Becoming a global citizen entails understanding the world’s dynamics, respecting other people irrespective of their nationality, and participating in activities that enhance the world’s equitability and sustainability. In this regard, out of the six outcomes of global citizenship, valuing diversity and intergroup empathy serve as the most essential outcomes compared to the other four outcomes in facilitating people’s development into global citizens. Intergroup empathy creates a sense of interconnectedness between people across countries and continents, whereas valuing diversity ensures that people appreciate and respect other cultures worldwide. Success in the other four outcomes will depend largely on how well people espouse these two outcomes.

With regards to intergroup empathy, one event that demonstrates my development into a global citizen is role-playing in my school drama and music club. Our patrons in the club assign us different roles depending on the type of play. Some of the club members are more comfortable acting roles from familiar backgrounds or societies. However, I like acting roles from foreign societies, where I immerse myself into their way of life and appreciate their culture. Similarly, I like studying the impacts of a diverse human resource on multinational companies, which illustrates my growth into a global citizen based on valuing diversity. Learning how having employees from varying backgrounds contributes to the companies’ business growth makes me appreciate the significance of cultural diversity.

Lastly, some general education courses have also influenced me in becoming a global citizen. One of these courses is environmental science, where I study how people’s actions affect the environment. Through this course, I have learned to the importance of sustainable practices in conserving the environment globally and averting repercussions such as climate change and adverse weather patterns. Another course is history, whereby I learn continuously about various civilizations such as the Greek and Roman empires, their traditions, and how they started and spread to other countries. These two courses make me feel interconnected with other parts of the world.

The essay above has defined the concept of global citizenship, evaluated this concept in the context of the current technological advancements, its benefits and outcomes, and explored personal events that demonstrate my development into a global citizen. The essay defined global citizenship as the acceptance, consideration and cognizance of cultural diversity to encourage outcomes such a sense of responsibility, sustainability and social justice. Nonetheless, the most important outcomes of global citizenship are intergroup empathy and valuing diversity, which I have demonstrated through role-playing and learning the human resource composition in multinational corporations. Technological advancements have improved communication and enabled global citizens to convey their idea. Also, technology enables them to solve problems, make choices and think critically. Eventually, they become proactive and resourceful, which are crucial qualities that facilitate the achievement of academic, professional and personal objectives.

References

Arditi, B. (2004). From globalism to globalization: the politics of resistance. New Political Science, 26(1), 5-22. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin_Arditi/publication/233234534_From_globalism_to_globalization_the_politics_of_resistance/links/09e4150a78b9439b2f000000.pdf

Globalization at a Crossroads. (2016). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTVgd1wUhW4&t=14s

Reysen, S., & Katzarska-Miller, I. (2013). A model of global citizenship: Antecedents and outcomes. International Journal of Psychology, 48(5), 858-870.