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The global citizens movement is a constellation of organized and overlapping citizens' groups seeking to foster global solidarity in policy and consciousness. The term is often used synonymously with the anti-globalization movement or the global justice movement.^[1]

Background

The concept of global citizenship first emerged in the 4th Century BCE among the Greek Cynics, who coined the term “cosmopolitan” – meaning citizen of the world. The Stoics later elaborated on the concept, and contemporary philosophers and political theorists have further developed it in the concept of cosmopolitanism, which proposes that all individuals belong to a single moral community.^[2]

The twenty-first century has seen increasing calls for global citizenship in light of how transportation and technology—are binding disparate parts of the world more closely together than ever before. Authors as Paul Raskin,^[3] Paul H. Ray,^[4] David Korten,^[5] and Gus Speth^[6] have argued for the existence of a latent pool of tens of millions of people ready to identify with a global consciousness, such as that captured in the Earth Charter. Organizations such as Oxfam International believe that a global citizens movement rooted in social and economic justice is emerging and is necessary for ending global poverty.^[7] The Global Scenario Group likewise identified such a movement as the key change agent in a Great Transition to a socially and ecologically sustainable future.^[8] A more recently formed group vying for a sustainable global future through international unification via an international federation are the Young World Federalists.^[9]

A global citizens movement would differ from the existing fragmented civil society organizations and social movements in that such campaigns and movements tend to be issue-specific rather than united in a shared struggle for a socially just and ecologically sustainable global society and the establishment of an institutional structure to support it.

Critiques

Skeptics^[who?] of the notion of a global citizens movement question whether or not a high enough level of global solidarity can emerge in light of nationalism, racism, and the dominance of the Westphalian state system^{[citation needed]}. However, other scholars point out that the historical emergence of nationalism must have felt just as improbable in a time of warring city-states, and yet in retrospect appears inevitable.^[10]

In their book Multitude, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri offer a more radical critique that posits Michel Foucault's notion of a “plurality of resistance” as the only legitimate path forward.^[11] Instead of leadership and organizational structures, Hardt and Negri put faith in the emergence of spontaneous coherence due to self-organized networks among various autonomous resistance movements. However, it remains unclear how a network of autonomous movements would differ in practice from a global citizens movement.

Notes

^ Susan George, "Global Citizens Movement: A New Actor for a New Politics," Conference on Reshaping Globalisation: Multilateral Dialogues and New Policy Initiatives, Central European University, Budapest, October 18, 2001.
^ Kwame Anthony Appiah, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (New York: W.W. Norton, 2006).
^ Paul Raskin, World Lines: Pathways, Pivots, and the Global Futures (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/pub/World%20lines-A%20framework%20for%20exploring%20global%20pathways.pdf.
^ Paul Ray and Sherry Anderson, The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000).
^ David Korten, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007).
^ James Gustave Speth, Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment. A Citizen's Agenda for Action (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004).
^ Oxfam International, Towards Global Equity: Oxfam International's Strategic Plan, 2001 – 2006 (Oxford, UK: Oxfam International, 2001).
^ Paul Raskin, Tariq Banuri, Gilberto Gallopín, Pablo Gutman, Al Hammond, Robert Kates, and Rob Swart, Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead (Boston: Stockholm Environment Institute, 2002), http://www.greattransition.org/gt-essay. See also the sequel to Great Transition: Paul Raskin, Journey to Earthland: A Great Transition to Planetary Civilization (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2016), http://www.greattransition.org/publication/journey-to-earthland.
^ Young World Federalists. (2020). ABOUT | YWF. [online] Available at: https://www.ywf.world/about
^ Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (New York: Verso, 1991); Chella Rajan, Global Politics and Institutions (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/tellus/publication/global-politics-and-institutions-a-utopistic-view.
^ Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire (London: Penguin Books, 2004); Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality (New York: Vintage Books, 1980).

External links

Great Transition Initiative—the GTI Paper Series and framework offers further context for discussion of a Global Citizens Movement
Encyclopedia of the Earth—has an entry on the Global Citizens Movement under the category of Sustainable Development

[1] Susan George, "Global Citizens Movement: A New Actor for a New Politics," Conference on Reshaping Globalisation: Multilateral Dialogues and New Policy Initiatives, Central European University, Budapest, October 18, 2001.

[2] Kwame Anthony Appiah, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (New York: W.W. Norton, 2006).

[3] Paul Raskin, World Lines: Pathways, Pivots, and the Global Futures (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/pub/World%20lines-A%20framework%20for%20exploring%20global%20pathways.pdf.

[4] Paul Ray and Sherry Anderson, The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000).

[5] David Korten, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007).

[6] James Gustave Speth, Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment. A Citizen's Agenda for Action (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004).

[7] Oxfam International, Towards Global Equity: Oxfam International's Strategic Plan, 2001 – 2006 (Oxford, UK: Oxfam International, 2001).

[8] Paul Raskin, Tariq Banuri, Gilberto Gallopín, Pablo Gutman, Al Hammond, Robert Kates, and Rob Swart, Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead (Boston: Stockholm Environment Institute, 2002), http://www.greattransition.org/gt-essay. See also the sequel to Great Transition: Paul Raskin, Journey to Earthland: A Great Transition to Planetary Civilization (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2016), http://www.greattransition.org/publication/journey-to-earthland.

[9] Young World Federalists. (2020). ABOUT | YWF. [online] Available at: https://www.ywf.world/about

[10] Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (New York: Verso, 1991); Chella Rajan, Global Politics and Institutions (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/tellus/publication/global-politics-and-institutions-a-utopistic-view.

[11] Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire (London: Penguin Books, 2004); Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality (New York: Vintage Books, 1980).

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+{{Short description|Movement for global cooperation}}
-In most discussions, the '''global citizens movement''' is a socio-political process rather than a political organization or party structure. The term is often used synonymously with the [[anti-globalization movement]]  or the [[global justice movement]].<ref>George, Susan. 2001. [http://www.tni.org/archives/george/budapest.htm Global citizens movement: A new actor for a new politics] TNI</ref> Colloquially the term is also used in this imprecise manner. <br/>
-'''Global citizens movement''' has been used by activists to refer to a number of organized and overlapping citizens groups who seek to influence public policy often with the hope of establishing global solidarity on an issue. Such efforts include advocacy on ecological sustainability, corporate responsibility, social justice and similar progressive issues. <br/>
+The '''global citizens movement''' is a constellation of organized and overlapping citizens' groups seeking to foster global solidarity in policy and consciousness. The term is often used synonymously with the [[anti-globalization movement]]  or the [[global justice movement]].<ref>Susan George, "Global Citizens Movement: A New Actor for a New Politics," Conference on Reshaping Globalisation: Multilateral Dialogues and New Policy Initiatives, Central European University, Budapest, October 18, 2001.</ref>
-In theoretical discussions of [[social movements]],<ref>Kriegman, Orion. 2006. [http://www.gtinitiative.org/documents/PDFFINALS/15Movements.pdf Dawn of the Cosmopolitan: The Hope of a Global Citizens Movement] Boston: [[Tellus Institute]]</ref> global citizens movement refers to a complex and unprecedented phenomena made possible by the unique subjective and objective conditions of the [[planetary phase of civilization]]. The term is used to distinguish the latent potential for a profound shift in values among an aware and engaged citizenry from existing transnational citizens movements<ref>Guidry, J., M. Kennedy, and M. Zald (eds). 2003. Globalizations and Social Movements: Culture, Power, and the Transnational Public Sphere. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.</ref> which tend to focus on specific issues (such as the [[anti-war movement]] or the [[labour movement]]<ref>[http://cnc.sagepub.com/content/35/1/63.abstract ''The Construction of a Trans-European Labour Movement'', Capital & Class, February 2011, by Daniel Jakopovich]</ref>).
 ==Background==
-The concept of ''[[global citizenship]]'' first emerged among the [[Cynicism (philosophy)|Greek Cynics]] in the 4th Century BCE (9.6 ky), who coined the term “[[cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]]” – meaning ''citizen of the world''. The [[Roman Stoics]] later elaborated on the concept. The contemporary concept of [[cosmopolitanism]], which proposes that all individuals belong to a single [[moral community]], has gained a new salience as scholars examine the ethical requirements of the [[planetary phase of civilization]].<ref>Appiah, K. 2006. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (Issues of Our Time). New
+The concept of [[global citizenship]] first emerged in the 4th Century BCE among the [[Greek Cynics]], who coined the term “[[Cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]]” – meaning ''citizen of the world''. The [[Stoics]] later elaborated on the concept, and contemporary philosophers and political theorists have further developed it in the concept of [[cosmopolitanism]], which proposes that all individuals belong to a single moral community.<ref>Kwame Anthony Appiah, ''Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers'' (New York: W.W. Norton, 2006).</ref>
-York: W.W. Norton.</ref>
+The twenty-first century has seen increasing calls for global citizenship in light of how transportation and technology—are binding disparate parts of the world more closely together than ever before. Authors as [[Paul Raskin]],<ref>Paul Raskin, ''World Lines: Pathways, Pivots, and the Global Futures'' (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/pub/World%20lines-A%20framework%20for%20exploring%20global%20pathways.pdf.</ref> [[Paul H. Ray]],<ref>Paul Ray and Sherry Anderson, ''The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World'' (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000).</ref> [[David Korten]],<ref>David Korten, ''The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community'' (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007).</ref> and [[Gus Speth]]<ref>James Gustave Speth, ''Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment. A Citizen's Agenda for Action'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004).</ref> have argued for the existence of a latent pool of tens of millions of people ready to identify with a global consciousness, such as that captured in the [[Earth Charter]]. Organizations such as [[Oxfam International]] believe that a global citizens movement rooted in social and economic justice is emerging and is necessary for ending global poverty.<ref>Oxfam International, ''Towards Global Equity: Oxfam International's Strategic Plan, 2001 – 2006'' (Oxford, UK: Oxfam International, 2001).</ref> The [[Global Scenario Group]] likewise identified such a movement as the key change agent in a [[Great Transition]] to a socially and ecologically sustainable future.<ref>Paul Raskin, Tariq Banuri, Gilberto Gallopín, Pablo Gutman, Al Hammond, Robert Kates, and Rob Swart, ''Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead'' (Boston: Stockholm Environment Institute, 2002), http://www.greattransition.org/gt-essay. See also the sequel to ''Great Transition'': Paul Raskin, ''Journey to Earthland: A Great Transition to Planetary Civilization'' (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2016), http://www.greattransition.org/publication/journey-to-earthland.</ref> A more recently formed group vying for a sustainable global future through international unification via an international federation are the [[Young World Federalists]].<ref> Young World Federalists. (2020). ABOUT | YWF. [online] Available at: https://www.ywf.world/about</ref>
-The idea that today’s objective and subjective conditions have increased the latency for an emergent global civic identity has been argued by the authors of the [[Global Scenario Group]]’s final report [http://www.gtinitiative.org/documents/Great_Transitions.pdf Great Transition: the Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead]. Similar arguments for the existence of a latent pool of tens of millions of people ready to identify around new values of earth consciousness have been put forth by such authors as [[Paul Raskin]] (see [http://www.gtinitiative.org/documents/PDFFINALS/16WorldLines.pdf World Lines: Pathways, Pivots, and the Global Future]), [[Paul H. Ray]] (see [[Cultural Creatives]]<ref>Ray, P. and S. Anderson. 2000. The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing
-the World. New York: Three Rivers Press.</ref>), and [[David Korten]] (see [[Great Turning]]).  Organizations, such as [[Oxfam International]] believe that a global citizens movement rooted in social and economic justice is emerging and is necessary for ending global poverty.<ref>Oxfam International. 2001. [http://www.oxfam.org/en/files/strat_plan.pdf Towards Global Equity]</ref>
+A global citizens movement would differ from the existing fragmented civil society organizations and social movements in that such campaigns and movements tend to be issue-specific rather than united in a shared struggle for a socially just and ecologically sustainable global society and the establishment of an institutional structure to support it.
-==Visions of a Global Citizens Movement==
-In the last chapter of his book, ''[[Red Sky at Morning (Speth book)|Red Sky at Morning]]'', [[James Gustave Speth|Gus Speth]] describes the potential for a new type of social movement composed of "we the people, as citizens" rooted in the principles of the [[Earth Charter]] to lead the transition in consciousness and values necessary for the emergence of a new planetary civilization.<ref>[[James Gustave Speth]]. 2004. Red Sky at Morning. New York: Yale University Press</ref>
+==Critiques==
-Orion Kriegman, author of [http://www.gtinitiative.org/documents/PDFFINALS/15Movements.pdf Dawn of the Cosmopolitan: The Hope of a Global Citizens Movement], states, “Transnational corporations, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) remain powerful global actors, but all of these would be deeply influenced by a coherent, worldwide association of millions of people who call for priority to be placed on new values of quality of life, human solidarity, and environmental sustainability.”
+Skeptics{{Who|date=March 2020}} of the notion of a global citizens movement question whether or not a high enough level of global solidarity can emerge in light of nationalism, racism, and the dominance of the [[Westphalian sovereignty|Westphalian state system]]{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}. However, other scholars point out that the historical emergence of nationalism must have felt just as improbable in a time of warring city-states, and yet in retrospect appears inevitable.<ref>Benedict Anderson, ''Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism'' (New York: Verso, 1991); Chella Rajan, ''Global Politics and Institutions'' (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/tellus/publication/global-politics-and-institutions-a-utopistic-view.</ref>
+In their book [[Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire|Multitude]], [[Michael Hardt]] and [[Antonio Negri]] offer a more radical critique that posits [[Michel Foucault]]'s notion of a “plurality of resistance” as the only legitimate path forward.<ref>Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, ''Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire'' (London: Penguin Books, 2004); Michel Foucault, ''The History of Sexuality'' (New York: Vintage Books, 1980).</ref>  Instead of leadership and organizational structures, Hardt and Negri put faith in the emergence of spontaneous coherence due to self-organized networks among various autonomous resistance movements. However, it remains unclear how a network of autonomous movements would differ in practice from a global citizens movement.
-Kriegman distinguishes this “coherent, worldwide association of millions” from the existing fragmented social movements active in the [[World Social Forum]]. These movements tend to be issue-specific – focused on labor, environment, human rights, feminist issues, indigenous struggles, poverty, AIDS, and numerous other interrelated but “siloed” efforts. Coherence among these movements would require a reframing of their work under the rubric of the struggle for a socially just and ecologically sustainable global society and the establishment of an institutional structure to defend the rights of humanity, future generations, and the biosphere. Kriegman asserts, “The upsurge of civil society activity, in the form of NGOs and social movements, over the past few decades can be understood as an early manifestation of the latency in the global system, and at the same time this transnational activity helps deepen the latency. However, existing social movements have not found a way to effectively balance the creative tension between pluralism and coherence to provide a collective framework for theory and action. Without a shared framework, it is hard to imagine how the latent potential would coalesce into a global systemic movement. The development of a shared framework will depend on new forms of leadership to facilitate engaged dialogue inclusive of diverse voices.”
-==Critiques of a Global Citizens Movement==
-The major critique of the notion of a global citizens movement centers on the potential for the emergence of solidarity on issues at the global level. Nationalism, racism, and the dominance of the [[Westphalian sovereignty|Westphalian state system]] are considered antithetical to the adoption of a global civic identity. However, some scholars point out that the historical emergence of nationalism must have felt just as improbable in a time of warring city-states,<ref>Anderson, B. R. 1991. Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of
-nationalism. London; New York: Verso.</ref> and yet in retrospect it appears inevitable.<ref>Rajan, Chella. 2006. [http://www.gtinitiative.org/documents/PDFFINALS/3Politics.pdf Global Politics and Institutions]. Boston: [[Tellus Institute]]</ref>
-A more radical critique stems from the arguments put forth by [[Michael Hardt]] and [[Antonio Negri]] in their book [[Multitude]] and enshrines Foucault’s notion of a “plurality of resistance”<ref>Foucault, M. 1980. The History of Sexuality. New York: Vintage Books.</ref> as the only legitimate path forward. This argument asserts that an organized movement among the vast multitude is both undesirable and impossible. Instead of leadership and organizational structures, Hardt and Negri put faith in the emergence of spontaneous coherence due to increasing self-organized networks among various autonomous resistance movements. They critique the notion that there could be legitimate leaders, democratically chosen through a formal network of grassroots structures, acting on behalf of a big-tent pluralistic association of global citizens to directly confront the entrenched power of transnational corporations and state governments. However, it remains unclear how a network of autonomous movements would differ in practice from the vision of an authentic global citizens movement.
 ==See also==
 *[[Global citizenship]]
+*[[Global justice]]
+*[[Global justice movement]]
+*[[Great Transition]]
+*[[Social movement]]
+*[[World community]]
 *[[World government]]
+*[[World Constitution and Parliament Association]]
 ==Notes==
+{{reflist|30em}}
-<references />
-==References==
-Florini, A. 2000. The Third Force: The Rise of Transnational Civil Society. New York: Carnegie Endowment. ISBN 0-87003-180-5
-Gelder, Melinda. 2006. Meeting the Enemy, Becoming a Friend. Boulder: Bauu Press. ISBN 0-9721349-5-6
-Kriegman, Orion and [http://www.gtinitiative.org/ Great Transition Initiative]. 2006. "[http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_citizens_movement Global citizens movement]." [http://www.eoearth.org/ Encyclopedia of Earth]. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland. (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment).
-Mayo, Marjorie. 2005. Global Citizens: Social Movements and the Challenge of Globalization. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-84277-138-9
-Raskin, P., T. Banuri, G. Gallopín, P. Gutman, A. Hammond, R. Kates, and R. Swart. 2002. [http://www.gtinitiative.org/documents/Great_Transitions.pdf The Great Transition: The Promise and the Lure of the Times Ahead]. Boston, MA: [[Tellus Institute]].
+==Further reading==
-Smith, Jackie. 2007. Social Movements for Global Democracy. Themes in Global Social Change. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8744-4
+* Florini, A. ''The Third Force: The Rise of Transnational Civil Society''. New York: Carnegie Endowment, 20000. {{ISBN|0-87003-180-5}}
+* Gelder, Melinda. ''Meeting the Enemy, Becoming a Friend''. Boulder: Bauu Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-9721349-5-6}}
+* Kriegman, ''Dawn of the Cosmopolitan: The Hope of a Global Citizens Movement'' (Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006), http://www.tellus.org/pub/Dawn_of_the_Cosmopolitan.pdf.
+* Mayo, Marjorie. ''Global Citizens: Social Movements and the Challenge of Globalization''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. {{ISBN|978-1-84277-138-9}}
+* Smith, Jackie. ''Social Movements for Global Democracy''. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-8018-8744-4}}
 == External links ==
-* [http://www.gcclaurier.org Global Citizenship Conference] -- Interdisciplinary conference held at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada to discuss issues pertinent to Global Citizens
+* [http://www.greattransition.org Great Transition Initiative]—the GTI Paper Series and framework offers further context for discussion of a Global Citizens Movement
+* [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_citizens_movement Encyclopedia of the Earth]—has an entry on the Global Citizens Movement under the category of Sustainable Development
-* [http://www.GTinitiative.org Great Transition Initiative] -- the GTI Paper Series and framework offers further context for discussion of a Global Citizens Movement
-* [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Global_citizens_movement Encyclopedia of the Earth] -- has an entry on the Global Citizens Movement under the category of Sustainable Development
-* [http://www.earthsky.org/blog/50818/another-world-is-possible-but-how NPR Radio Show Earth&Sky]-- examines implications of potential for crisis in [http://www.earthsky.org/article/humanworld-whatis the Human World] (i.e. [[Anthropocene]]) for mobilization of humanity to create a better world
-* [http://www.earthsky.org/blog/51033/who-will-change-the-world Who Will Change the World?] – an article and discussion on Earth & Sky about a Global Citizens Movement
-* [http://global-culture.org/blog/category/global-citizen/ Global Culture] Essays on the influence of Global Citizens
-* [http://improvingourworld.com Improving Our World]  Finding ways to advance true democracy and world morals.
 {{Supranationalism/World government topics}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Global Citizens Movement}}
-[[Category:International nongovernmental organizations]]
-[[Category:World federalists]]
 [[Category:Community building]]
-[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
 [[Category:Activism]]
-[[Category:Justice]]
+[[Category:Alter-globalization]]
-[[Category:Anti-globalization]]
+[[Category:Global civilization]]
-[[Category:Civilizations]]
-[[Category:Theories of history]]
-[[Category:Economic geography]]
-[[Category:Cultural geography]]
 [[Category:Social movements]]
 [[Category:Cosmopolitanism]]
+[[Category:Global culture]]

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