ABSTRACT
Education provides one of the best arenas for examining the articulation of actually existing cosmopolitanismswith cosmopolitanism as a normativemoral and/or political ideal. Schools are, after all, places where trained professionals struggle daily to impart, inscribe and actualize in their charges various visions of the proper individual and the good society. The distinction between cosmopolitanism as it is socially practiced and cosmopolitanism as a normative ideal has become increasingly commonplace in the emerging field of cosmopolitan studies. And, it is in educational institutions that we see one of the clearest relationships between the two. Through its curricula, physical spaces and operations, the modern school is one of the central (and consequential) sites for the enunciation of cosmopolitan ideals. It is also one of the key sites where cosmopolitan stances, dispositions and habits might be learned. And, if we look at cosmopolitanism learning from a different angle, it is also possible that the school is a site where individuals may experience the ‘moments of openness’ (Delanty 2006: 27) that can lead to profound cosmopolitan transformations.
