Global Citizenship Education And The Rise Of Nationalist Perspectives .

Global Citizenship Education and the rise of nationalist perspectives: Reflections and possible ways forwardResults from these surveys suggest that there is no globalshift towards more nationalism in recent years, and that therehas been no significant global shift towards exclusionaryvirulent nationalist attitudes. Though there is a clearsegment of the population that is favourable to nationalistperspectives, it is too early to tell if the world is currentlywitnessing a rise in nationalist attitudes. 2004-9 2010-14United StatesArgentinaGraph 2: Levels of trust in people of another nationalitySource: World Values Survey Waves 5 and 6908070605040302010ThailandMoroccoRepublic of erageRwandaNetherlandsChinaRussiaSouth AfricaGermanySpainAustralia0Graph 3: Rise of populist radical right wing parties in Western Europe (1980-2016)Source: Milačić & Vuković (2017)Visible rise in nationalist politics. Though there is no clearevidence of the increase in individuals’ nationalist attitudesover the last years until 2016, there has been a visible rise inthe expression, visibility and acceptance of nationalist politics4in a number of countries. This manifests itself in a number ofways, and most notably in the rise, and electoral success, ofold or new nationalist parties and/or the shift in positions ofestablished parties.

Global Citizenship Education and the rise of nationalist perspectives: Reflections and possible ways forwardRise of hate crimes. Manifestations of the increased visibilityof exclusionary nationalist politics can also be found in therise of hate crimes over the past year, spurred by triggerevents such as polarized election campaigns. Although levelsof violence dropped some time after the trigger events,they remained higher than in previous years. This reflects apossible change in social norms, whereby nationalist andxenophobic attitudes have become more acceptable and,thus, radical individuals and groups feel more empowered toact upon them.Risk of escalation. In this context, it is important to considerthat the rise of exclusionary nationalist politics and theincreased acceptance of expressing nationalist opinionscan reinforce or even generate a trend towards moreexclusionary nationalism. In other words, while the rise ofnationalist parties may not be the result of an overall trendtowards more nationalism, it may well cause such a trend inthe future.There is no global monitoring of hate crimes.Data on hate crimes can be found at the national level, for example:* for USA: Hate Crime Statistics, Department of Justice, Federal Bureauof Investigation, available at https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2015;Economic globalization and the changing world of work. Theblame for the decline in living standards in some countriesis often put on economic globalization and a modernizingeconomy. Economic globalization can mean that jobs moveabroad to where labour costs are lower. A modernizingeconomy can mean that traditional jobs are replaced byautomation. Both phenomena can cause fear and anxiety.Certain population groups, for example those living indefunct former factory towns, feel cut off.Graph 4: The working class fear globalization morethan the middle classSource: eupionions.eu - Bertelsmann Stiftung (2016)Working classGlobalisation as a threat47%Economic anxiety38%Traditionalism51%Globalisation as a threatAt the regional level, data is provided by the Organization forSecurity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) at nd-xenophobiaEconomic anxiety37%25%TraditionalismA number of root causes can be identified to explain therise in nationalist politics and the seeming increase in theacceptance of their expression in the public sphere.Real and perceived economic inequality and loss in livingstandards. In particular, since the global economic crisisin 2008, economic inequality is more prominent andmore visible today. The benefits of economic growth arevery, and sometimes extremely, unevenly distributed.This is true at the global level as well as within countries.Furthermore, there is now a widespread perception,especially in developed countries, that living standards ofone’s children will not necessarily be higher than one’s own,thus undermining the traditional promise of economicascent. People can feel that they are losing the benefits orprivileges to which they believe they are entitled to (‘loss ofperceived entitled privilege’).53%Economic confidence62%Progressivism49%Middle class* for France: Commission nationale consultative des droits del'homme (CNCDH) available at www.cncdh.fr2.4. Root causes and facilitating factors/ as an opportunity48%/ as an opportunity63%Economic confidence75%Progressivism52%Cultural anxiety. Fears of economic globalization ofteninteract with wider anxieties about what seems to be arapidly developing world that appears to be increasinglybeyond the individual’s control. Traditional communitiesare perceived to be disintegrating and social environmentsthat were perceived to be clearly structured are becomingoverwhelmingly complex. These sentiments often goalong with a strong sense of victimization that blindsindividuals to their own ability to victimize others. Againstthis background, people who are different or who occupya minority status (e.g. ethnic minorities, people withdifferent sexual orientations, women, the so called “liberalelite” , and those who may benefit from equity measures)are seen as threatening or unjustifiably favoured. Whetherjustified or not, it is important to recognize that feelingsof disorientation can be genuine and cannot easily beovercome if not squarely addressed.5

Global Citizenship Education and the rise of nationalist perspectives: Reflections and possible ways forwardMistrust in politics and political institutions, and a general senseof powerlessness. Nationalist perspectives can also be linkedto the real or perceived crises of the legitimacy of politicalinstitutions and processes. This can include the sentiment –justified or not – that the established political process is closedto newcomers or offers few channels for genuine politicalparticipation for the marginalized. This is compounded by afeeling that there are no credible political visions being putforward by political leaders that speak to this aspiration andthat traditional political institutions are powerless in the faceof supranational forces such as economic globalization.Digital revolution as facilitating factor. The above root causesare magnified by various facilitating factors, such as theinternet, and more generally the so-called digital revolution.With the advent of the internet, information is now freelyavailable and accessible to all. News is no longer determinedby established editorial boards, but made by individualsrelaying information as they see it and feel it. Social media, inparticular, are becoming echo chambers, where people whothink similarly interact and exchange. Social media have alsochanged the boundaries between the realms of the privateand the public, resulting in a shift of perspective on what canbe legitimately expressed in public. Under such conditions,there is a premium on sensationalism, and conspiracy theoriesare rampant. The digital revolution has made it easier andfaster to circulate marginalized voices, including those thatare the most extreme and exclusionary. Social media and theinternet provide demagogues with the ideal accessory to gainpopularity by exploiting prejudice and ignorance.3. U nresolved tensions and misunderstandingswithin Global Citizenship Education (GCED)What is Global Citizenship Education? GCED aims to empowerlearners to engage and assume active roles locally, nationallyand globally, to face and resolve global challenges andultimately to become proactive contributors to a morejust, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive secure and sustainableworld. It builds on peace and human rights education andemphasizes the need to foster the knowledge, skills, values,attitudes and behaviours that allow individuals to experiencea sense of belonging to the global community and to takeinformed decisions. GCED is a key element of Target 4.7 of theSustainable Development Goal 4 on Education.9Core conceptual dimensions of Global CitizenshipEducation10Cognitive:To acquire knowledge, understanding and critical thinkingabout global, regional, national and local issues and theinterconnectedness and interdependency of different countriesand populationsSocio-emotional:To have a sense of belonging to a common humanity, sharingvalues and responsibilities, empathy, solidarity, and respect fordifferences and diversityBehavioural:To act effectively and responsibly at local, national and globallevels for a more peaceful and sustainable world9Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG4 on Education) calls on countries to “ensure that all learners are provided with theknowledge and skills to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development andsustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation ofcultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development”.10 UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education: Topics and Learning Objectives, available at 3e.pdf6

Global Citizenship Education and the rise of nationalist perspectives: Reflections and possible ways forwardInherent tensions and possible misunderstandings. While GCEDis moving into the mainstream of education discourse, thereremain unresolved tensions and possible misunderstandingsregarding the concept that may explain why its uptake hasgreatly varied. They need to be addressed squarely in orderto ensure GCED delivers on its promise.These tensions and possible misunderstandings aredescribed in what follows.Global vs local. GCED promotes an ideal of global solidarityand a sense of belonging to a common humanity, whileencouraging learners to take responsible actions at globaland local levels. It remains, however, unclear to manystakeholders how local actions connect to global change,and how GCED can be immediately relevant to the wellbeing of individuals in their local communities. GCED issometimes seen as a lofty ideal that over-prioritizes theneed to address global challenges and interventions overlocal aspirations, content and interventions. Neither is itapparent how GCED is relevant to national citizenship, whichdetermines, to a large extent, the kind of opportunities thatindividuals are most likely to have throughout life.Targeting the individual vs. addressing the political andsocial context. As GCED focuses on developing individuals’knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, less attention isdevoted to questioning the macro-social, structural orpolitical contexts that frame an individual’s ability to enjoyand exercise their rights. Some have gone so far as to arguethat GCED promotes a sanitized – or depoliticized – vision ofchange that can contribute to the disengagement of youngpeople from civic life.Relevance of GCED in challenging environments. Thoughthe effective implementation of GCED depends on itscontextualization, GCED is perceived in certain contextsas an approach that cannot apply to educational settingsthat are resource-poor, conflicted-affected, remote andunderprivileged. Despite existing evidence that peaceeducation11 – which is part of GCED – helps build socialcohesion and improves the overall quality of learning, GCEDis perceived by some as a luxury, disconnected from learners’basic needs. In countries that are experiencing the challengeof national unity and social cohesion, in particular, the globaldimension of citizenship education is particularly difficult toprioritize.Aspirational goal with implementation challenges. UNESCO’sunderstanding of GCED underlines the importance ofdeveloping learners’ cognitive, socio-emotional andbehavioural skills in order to empower them to becomeresponsible and engaged citizens. When faced with practicalimplementation, this ideal can seem daunting. Teachersare often not comfortable, nor equipped, to teach allthree dimensions of learning since they require adoptingnew pedagogical approaches. It is notably challengingfor teachers to develop skills for responsible politicalengagement and for dealing with emotions. GCED, therefore,runs the risk of being delivered simply as a new subjectmatter, instead of serving as a driver for more profoundeducational change across the education sector.11 Paper commissioned by the UNESCO Education Sector 2017, ‘’Promotion and Implementation of Global Citizenship Education in CrisisSituations’’ by Tina Robiolle Moul; Available at: 1E.pdf7

Global Citizenship Education and the rise of nationalist perspectives: Reflections and possible ways forward4. For a renewed understanding of GCED –Recommendations to take the agenda forwardIndependent of whether there is a discernible global risein nationalist perspectives or whether there will be one inthe future, all manifestations of exclusionary nationalismrun counter to the values of GCED and, therefore, pose aneducational challenge.In this light, the recommendations below seek to address thischallenge by proposing a renewed understanding of GCEDin order to ensure that it delivers the type of transformationsthat are needed to build a more peaceful, just and sustainableworld.The vision1. ‘Learning to live together’ at the core. GCED can beimplemented in a variety of ways, and to differentdegrees, from a minimalist to a maximalist approach.For example, GCED can translate into the promotionof specific conflict resolution and critical thinking skillsfor peaceful co-existence. Or, it can also materialize asan overarching educational commitment to promotinga sense of belonging to a common humanity andglobal solidarity. All these actions are modalities ofimplementation of GCED, situated along a continuum ofvalid entry points. At the core of all of these approachesis a commitment to ‘learning to live together’ in peaceand dignity. UNESCO and others who promote GCEDshould show more clearly how GCED can be effectivelyimplemented along this continuum.2. Contextualize and build on the local and countrycontext. Learning about, and for, global citizenshipshould incorporate and build on local values, worldviewsand traditions. This implies not only translating GCEDinto national local languages, but more importantly,using and celebrating the cultural practices andexpressions that convey the aspirations of GCEDin national traditions12. Many cultures already havetraditions and practices that match and convey theaspirations of GCED. The discourse of GCED should beframed in a way that it builds on those traditions andpractices rather than appearing to introduce new termsand concepts. The framing of GCED should be such thatpeople in different cultural contexts can easily relateto it13. Contextualizing GCED can, furthermore, implyensuring that educational contents reflect local realitiesand localize global issues. Such approaches can be moreeffective to promote a sense of responsibility towards,and belonging to, the global community, as well asensure GCED’s resonance with national and sub-nationaltraditions and customs.The skills3. Constructive civic and political engagement.Developing learners’ civic and political skills to engageconstructively in local and national decision-makingprocesses and mechanisms should be prioritized, atall levels of education, and throughout life. Spreadingabstract norms of non-violence and interculturalunderstanding is not sufficient to ensure young peopleand adults are able to effectively participate in civic lifeand contribute to the development of just and peacefulsocieties.4. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Emotionssuch as fear, anger, resentment and anxiety can createan attraction to exclusionary forms of nationalism. GCEDneeds to place more emphasis on helping learnersidentify and deal with their emotions in a constructivemanner. This means teaching learners to be aware andin control of their emotions in a way that allows them toempathize and be compassionate with others withoutneglecting their own needs and emotions.12 One example is the notion of Ubuntu, in the Southern Africa region.13 UNESCO is producing an advocacy document entitled: "Global Citizenship Education: taking it local" on 10 local concepts to promote GCEDlocally. The document will be available in September 2018.8

Global Citizenship Education and the rise of nationalist perspectives: Reflections and possible ways forward5. Critical inquiry. In our globalized world, marked bya relatively easy access to information from diversesources, learners are confronted with the need to handlenew levels of complexity, which can generate fears andanxiety. GCED must help learners navigate throughthis complexity and learn-to-learn throughout life inorder to keep up with developments. This is possibleby inculcating skills of critical inquiry, in order to dissectclaims that do not stand up to rigorous scrutiny, logic andrational inquiry.6. Skills for digital citizenship. GCED should emphasize theimportance of ‘media and information literacy’ (MIL) anddigital citizenship competencies in order to help learnersscrutinize information and media content (written andvideo), critically evaluate information sources that feedinto conspiracy theories, as well as engage responsiblywith media and information systems. MIL is also critical tohelp learners understand that there can be a multiplicityof viewpoints on issues.The approaches7. Make a difference for marginalized populations. GCEDhas to be delivered in a way that benefits the mostvulnerable, disillusioned and disenfranchised segmentsof the population. GCED should not be a viewed as aprivilege but a means of improving the overall relevanceof education and its ability to promote human flourishingand well-being. GCED provides an opportunity tostrengthen a wide range of skills (cognitive, socioemotional and behavioural) that are necessary todevelop in a fast changing world, such as inter-personalcommunication, conflict management, creativity,collaborative work, empathy, emotional intelligence, etc.9. Redesign teacher development. Teachers and educatorsare at the forefront of the learning process and needto be involved in the development of GCED content aswell as supported to ensure they can deliver the threedifferent dimensio

has been no significant global shift towards exclusionary virulent nationalist attitudes. Though there is a clear segment of the population that is favourable to nationalist perspectives, it is too early to tell if the world is currently witnessing a rise in nationalist attitudes. Graph 2: Levels of trust in people of another nationality