I have noticed that the Americans are engaged in a discussion of patriotism and cosmopolitanism that I briefly considered in Going postnational and Patriotism. The debate is centred around Martha Nussbaum's essay called Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism. Thanks to the links provided by Dave over at Stoic News to the responses by Lee Harris--called---The Cosmopolitan Illusion and by Don Carmichael called World Citizenship: A Critique of Martha Nussbaum
Nussbaum argued that a cosmopolitanism opposed patriotism which is morally dangerous because patriotism is very close to jingoism. The role of a liberal education in the American university should strive for 'the very old ideal of the cosmopolitan, the person whose primary allegiance is to the community of human beings in the entire world.' These are citizens of the world. Nussbaum makes explicit what Deidre Macken implied in her , 'Identity shifts marks new work view', in the Weekend Financial Review (subscription required, p. 28), said inthat she was part Australian and part Sydneysider (globetrotter)----that we are to understand ourselves as world citizens first and as Australians second.
A defence of cosmpolitianism can be found here.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at April 17, 2003 12:58 AM | TrackBackYou may not be a fan of cultural studies, but I highly recommend the journal Theory, Culture & Society Vol 19(1/2), 2002 - an entire issue dedicated to Cosmopolitanism. Available in your friendly neighbourhood academic library ;)
Posted by: Anne on April 25, 2003 07:21 AMGood
Posted by: jenn on December 21, 2004 06:09 PM