Batangas State University

The Contemporary
World

Prepared by
Errol James S. Culla
UNIT VII GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
Learning Objectives:

Define global citizenship

Distinguish the salient features of global citizenship
Relates global citizenship with global economy and
governance
Articulate a personal definition of global citizenship
 GLOBAL
CITIZENSHIP
 Introduction
As there is no widely accepted definition of global
citizenship, oftentimes, educators use this term loosely.
Having been derived from the word city, the term citizenship
tends to suggest allegiance to one’s own country or state.
Quitely so, the concept of citizenship has taken on a new
meaning from its historical usage as it has gone “global”.
According to Oxfam International, global citizenship is the
idea that, as people, we are all citizens of the globe who have
an equal responsibility for what happens on, and to our
world. This means to say that every global citizen has a duty
to address issues affecting our being citizens. As there could
be no formal process to become a global citizen, holding this
citizenship status is something that we all have a right to and
obligation as well.
Global Citizenship
Given the definition, citizenship can thus be associated with rights and
obligations. For instance, the right to vote and the obligation to pay
taxes. Both rights and obligations link the individual to the state. It also
has to do with our attitude. We need to be willing to engage and to spend
time and effort to the community of which we feel part of. Caecilia
Johanna van Peski (as cited in Baraldi, 2012) defined global citizenship
“as a moral and ethical disposition that can guide the understanding of
individuals or groups of local and global contexts, and remind them of
their relative responsibilities within various communities.” Global citizens
are the glue which binds local communities together in an increasingly
globalized world. In van Peski’s words, “global citizens might be a new
type of people that can travel within these various boundaries and
somehow still make sense of the world”.
Caecilia Johanna van Peski
“Global citizenship can be defined as a moral and ethical
disposition that can guide the understanding of individuals or
groups of local and global contexts, and remind them of their
relative responsibilities within various communities.”

“global citizens might be a new type of people that can travel

within these various boundaries and somehow still make sense
of the world”

“global citizens themselves [have] to create rights and

obligations.”
Salient Features of Global Citizenship

1. Global citizenship as a choice and a way of thinking

People come to consider themselves as global citizens
through various formative life experiences and have
different interpretations of what it means to them. For
many, the practice of global citizenship is primarily
exercised at home through engagement in global issues or
with different cultures in a local setting. For others, global
citizenship means firsthand experience with different
countries, people and cultures.
2. Global citizenship as self-awareness and awareness of others

Self-awareness helps students identify with the

universalities of human experience, thus increasing
their identification with fellow human beings and
their sense of responsibility toward them.
3. Global citizenship as they practice cultural empathy

Cultural empathy or intercultural competence is

commonly articulated as a goal of global education.
Intercultural competence occupies a central position in
higher education’s thinking about global citizenship and
is seen as an important skill in the workplace.
4. Global citizenship as the cultivation of principled
decision making
Global citizenship entails an awareness of the
interdependence of individuals and systems as well as a
sense of responsibility that follows from it. Although the
goal of undergraduate education should not be to impose a
correct set of answers, critical thinking, cultural empathy
and ethical systems and choices are an essential
foundation to principled decision making.
5. Global citizenship as participation in the social and political life
of one’s community
There are various types of communities that range from local to
global, from religious to political group. Global citizens feel a sense
of connection towards their communities and translate this
connection to participation.
Global Citizenship and Globalization
Global citizenship does not automatically entail a single attitude
and a particular value with globalization. We must remember that
globalization is not a single phenomenon; rather, there are many
globalizations. They are bound to be multiple futures for multiple
globalizations. These globalizations created enemies because
according to one broad view, globalization failed to deliver its
promises. The so- called bottom billion lacks infrastructures and
has been disenfranchised. The opponents of globalization blame
either Westernization or global capitalism. Thus, the enemies resist
globalization, especially when it comes to global economy and
global governance.
Global Citizenship and Global Economy
There are three approaches to global economic resistance. Trade
protectionism involves the systematic government intervention in
foreign trade through tariffs and non-tariff barriers in order to
encourage domestic producers and deter their foreign
competitors. Although there exists a widespread consensus
regarding its inefficiency, trade protectionism is still popular
since it shields the domestic economy from systemic shocks. Fair
trade is a different approach to economic globalization, which
emerged as a counter to neoliberal “free trade” principles.
Fair trade aims at a moral and equitable global economic
system in which, for instance, price is not set by the market;
instead, it is negotiated transparently by both producers and
consumers. Its ability to supply a mass market and its
applicability to manufacture products are also doubted. The
third form of resistance to economic globalization relates to
helping the bottom billion. Increasing aid is only one of the
many measures that is required. International norms and
standards can be adapted to the needs of the bottom billion.
The reduction of trade barriers would also reduce the economic
marginalization of these people and their nations.
Global Citizenship and Global Governance

When it comes to dealing with political globalization, increased

accountability and transparency are the key issues. All political
organizations, at different levels, should be more accountable
for their actions because they are now surrounded by an “ocean
of opacity”. Increased transparency has been aided by various
mechanism such as transnational justice systems, international
tribunals, civil society and particularly the Transparency
International.
Like globalization, resistance to globalization is multiple, complex,
contradictory, and ambiguous. This movement also has the potential
to emerge as the new public sphere, which may uphold progressive
values such as autonomy, democracy, peace, ecological
sustainability, and social justice. These forces of resistance are
products of globalization and can be seen as globalization from
below. The impetus for such movement comes from individuals,
groups and organizations which are oppressed (i.e., self-perception)
by globalization from above (neoliberal economic systems or
aggressively expanding nations and corporations). They seek a more
democratic process of globalization. However, globalization involves
less visible, more right-wing elements, such as the America First
Party and the Taliban.
The World Social Forum (WSF) is centered on addressing the
lack of democracy in economic and political affairs. However,
the diversity of elements involved in WSF hinders the
development of concrete political proposals. A significant
influence on WSF has been that of cyberactivism, which is
based on the “cultural logic of networking” and “virtual
movements”, such as Global Huaren. This cyberpublic was
formed as a protest against the violence, discrimination, and
hatred experienced by Chinese residents in Indonesia after the
1997 Asian financial crisis. In 1998, worldwide rallies
condemning the violence were made possible through the
Global Huaren.
 Global Citizenship
References 01 Global education and global citizenship. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
https://www.globalization101.org/global-education-
and-global-citizenship/

02 ttps://issues.tigweb.org/globalcitizenship

03 Baraldi, C. (ed.). (2012). What is global citizenship?

Participation, facilitatiton, and meditation: Children
and young people in their social contexts.
Abingdon, United

04 Schattle, Han. (2007). The Practices of Global

Citizenship. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield
Publishers, Inc.

05 Cohen, D. (2006). Globalization and its

enemies. MA:
References 06 McAleese, D. (2007). Trade Protectionism. In
Scholte, J. A. & Robertson, R. (eds.) Encyclopedia
of globalization. New York: MTM Publishing.

07 Nicholls, & Opal, C. (2005). Fair trade: Market-

driven ethical consumption. London: Sage.

08 Collier, P. (2007). The bottom billion: Why the

poorest countries are failing and what can be
done about it. New York: Oxford University Press

09 Germain, R. D. (2004). Globalising accountability

within the International Organization of Credit:
Financial governance and the publish sphere.
Global Society 18, (3

10 Holzner, B. & Holzner, L. (2006). Transparency in

global change: The vanguard of the open society.
Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
References 11 Smith, J. (2008). Social movements for
global democracy. Baltimore: John Hopkins
University Press.

12 Della Porta, D., Andretta, M., Mosca, L., &

Reiter, H. (2006). Globalization from below:
Transnational activists and protest network.
Minneapolis: Universityof Minnesota Press

13 Fisher, W. F. & Ponniah, T. (2003). Another

world is possible: Popular alternatives to
globalization at the World Social Forum.
London: Zed Books.
The Contemporary World

Mr. Errol James S. Culla