Five Ways to Reimagine Global Citizenship (Infographic)
I encourage everyone with a passion for social change and higher education to read
Andreotti is a leading voice for global understanding and ethical education. Each post, book, or article she writes provides inspiration for those who relish in the complexities of our roles and responsibilities as citizens on this planet. The article, Soft versus Critical Global Citizenship Education, unpacks the harms of the conventional ways we think about global citizenship. It shines a spotlight on the darker assumptions that hide in the shadows of our multicultural fairs, charity causes and educational systems (among other places).
Reading it feels like when the floodlights come on at the end of a party. Suddenly, the fantasy that was all about me, my experience and my pleasure (if I'm honest with myself) fizzles out, and it is hard not to notice the dirt, destruction, and general discomfort of the whole setting.
Or maybe I'm just going to the wrong sort of parties.
But as a person of privilege, the critical, anti-racist and insightful works of authors like Andreotti are that floodlight. They illuminate the histories, ideologies, politics, social mores, and economics that prop up our current world view then and take a sledgehammer to the whole thing so we can examine the pieces - deconstructing both 'the system' and ourselves in the process.
The opening of the possibility of reimagining and reshaping our world inside-out feels boldly optimistic. The infographic below captures the first half of a table from Soft versus Critical Global Citizenship Education. It shows five ways to rethink global citizenship and prompts us to reflect on our approaches critically.
It is important to remember, though, that critical thinking is not a checkbox or a set of binary opposites. Think of this infographic as an invitation to a deeper conversation on conscious travel and critical global citizenship.
Andreotti writes about the complexities and paradoxes embedded in the practices of global citizenship, and how all of our approaches, both 'soft' and 'critical' need to be engaged with and explored. Critical global citizenship is a beautiful process of learning, unlearning, and shifting perceptions.
So read Soft versus Critical Global Citizenship and be invited to engage, disagree, discuss, and reflect. Whatever your reaction, it is guaranteed to level-up your critical consciousness and bring a whole new perspective to ethics in global education.
