Cosmopolitans: Difference between revisions
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The cosmopolitan view is the core of [[cosmopolitanism]], a socio-political stance or movement which sees all persons in all nations as members of a single global community -- in contrast or conjunction with [[nationalism]]. |
The cosmopolitan view is the core of [[cosmopolitanism]], a socio-political stance or movement which sees all persons in all nations as members of a single global community -- in contrast or conjunction with [[nationalism]]. |
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In the last period of [[Stalin]]'s dictatorship in the [[Soviet Union]], the phrase "[[rootless cosmopolitan]]" was used as |
In the last period of [[Stalin]]'s dictatorship in the [[Soviet Union]], the phrase "[[rootless cosmopolitan]]" was used as an antisemitic codeword[[codeword]] to accuse the [[Jewish]] community of lacking cultural roots within Russia. Later on in the Soviet Union, being described as a cosmopolitan could be a [[euphemism]] for being an [[enemy of the people]]. |
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===See also=== |
===See also=== |
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Revision as of 15:21, 4 May 2007
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The word cosmopolitan describes an environment where many cultures from around the world coexist; or a person whose perspective reflects exposure to a variety of cultures. It may also have the weaker senses of "worldly" or "sophisticated".
The word derives from Greek cosmos (the Universe) and polis (city). Its sense overlaps to some extent with being a universal citizen, implying identification with a world community rather than with only a particular state, nation or people. Indeed, its first recorded usage was by Diogenes the Cynic, who described himself as a "kosmou polites", i.e. "a citizen of the world"; and as such he would seek attachments beyond the local ones, disregarding the importance given to 'accidentally' obtained concepts of gender, place of birth, place of residence and so on.
The word is sometimes misused to mean only "the global", either as a person who is seasoned in ways of the world, or as an adjective, to describe something with a far-reaching impact. However, it is argued by many scholars that a multicultural context, multiculturalism, is a necessity for people to develop a cosmopolitan identity.
The cosmopolitan view is the core of cosmopolitanism, a socio-political stance or movement which sees all persons in all nations as members of a single global community -- in contrast or conjunction with nationalism.
In the last period of Stalin's dictatorship in the Soviet Union, the phrase "rootless cosmopolitan" was used as an antisemitic codewordcodeword to accuse the Jewish community of lacking cultural roots within Russia. Later on in the Soviet Union, being described as a cosmopolitan could be a euphemism for being an enemy of the people.