Education for global citizenship: Illustrations of ideological pluralism and adaptation

This article explores the ideological currents emerging within the contested idea of global citizenship in public discourse by focusing on how this term has been deployed within the educational arena. In educational initiatives across the English-speaking world, 'global citizenship' is aligned with four ideological constellations: Moral cosmopolitanism, liberal multiculturalism, neoliberalism and environmentalism. Identifying and examining some of the more prominent strains of thinking within educational programs for global citizenship contributes to ongoing debates about whether a new, distinct and globally-oriented ideology might be emerging. This article maintains that public discourse related to global citizenship in education does not yet validate a prospective ideology such as 'globalism' but does illustrate how established ideologies, most notably liberalism in its plural forms, are adapting alongside increasing public recognition of global interdependence.