Cosmopolitan

What is cosmopolitan?

First thought, Sex in the City, Carrie Bradshaw and her gals drinking this famous cocktail.

Sorry to ruin the mood guys, but that’s not just not what it is.

Cosmopolitan is a word used to describe the phrase ‘citizens of the world’. To embody the cosmopolitan lifestyle, there must be a sense of responsivity to the human community as a whole as well as accepting and valuing differences and diversity among individuals and cultures. Additionally it involves being open to being changed, accepting responsibilities as well as rights and being engaged with issues, history, politics and cultural diversity.

Engagement and interaction with other cultures is on a deeper level.

This concept of ‘cosmopolitanism’ is known as a result of its relations to globalisation. (Source: Badger). The relationship between these two concepts is supported by the idea from Appadurai that it is due to the increasing movement of people, ideas, media, technology and finance is reforming the global world.

Cosmopolitan is often in relation to the discussion towards being an international student. The process of an individual moving away from home to go study in a completely different environment can be significantly hard. The cultures between their home and they’re new home can be very different. Aspects that may also be different and hard to adapt to include time differences, socialising with others as well as personal English speaking capabilities. The approach towards cultural translation is also a process of cosmopolitan learning.

I have personally been given opportunities to meet and collaborate with different international students while attending university. In most of my classes there has always been an international student, where I have either just discussed topics with them in class or have worked with them together for group assignments. I come from a background where all of my friends are from different countries and parts of the world. Therefore, I am very open to making them feel welcome in a completely different environment. I do this by engaging them to topics of our own interests and answer questions they may have. These interactions allow me to broaden and enhance my knowledge of multiculturalism as well as perspectives on different cultures.

This goes on to prove that global interaction in an increasingly, constant globalised world allows us to become ‘citizens of the world’.

References:

1. Reid, C., Alsaiari, H., & Rosmilawati, I. (2015). Cultural translations : the art of cosmopolitan learning as an international student. In A. W. Ata & A. Kostogriz (Eds.), International Education and Cultural-Linguistic Experiences of International Students in Australia (pp. 29-42).