Global Citizenship Education

Abstract

The concept of citizenship has evolved over time. Historically, citizenship did not extend to all – for example, only men or property owners were eligible to be citizens.1 During the past century, there has been a gradual movement towards a more inclusive understanding of citizenship, influenced by the development of civil, political and social rights.2 Current perspectives on national citizenship vary between countries, reflecting differences in political and historical context, among other factors. An increasingly globalised world has raised questions about what constitutes meaningful citizenship as well as about its global dimensions. Although the notion of citizenship that goes beyond the nation state is not new, changes in the global context – for example, the establishment of international conventions and treaties, the growth of transnational organisations, corporations and civil society movements, and the development of international human rights frameworks – have significant implications for global citizenship. It has to be acknowledged that there are differing perspectives about the concept of global citizenship including, such as the extent to which it extends and complements traditional citizenship, defined in terms of the nation state, or the extent to which it competes with it. Global citizenship3 refers to a sense of belonging to a broader community and common humanity. It emphasises political, economic, social and cultural interdependency and interconnectedness between the local, the national and the global. Growing interest in global citizenship has resulted in increased attention to the global dimension in citizenship education as well, and the implications for policy, curricula, teaching and learning.4 Global citizenship education entails three core conceptual dimensions, which are common to various definitions and interpretations of global citizenship education. These core conceptual dimensions draw on a review of literature, conceptual frameworks, approaches and curricula on global citizenship education, as well as technical consultations and recent work in this area by UNESCO. They can serve as the basis for defining global citizenship education goals, learning objectives and competencies, as well as priorities for assessing and evaluating learning. These core conceptual dimensions are based on, and include, aspects from all three domains of learning: cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. These are interrelated and are presented below, each indicating the domain of learning they focus on most in the learning process: