Definition: Cosmopolitan
Arab Literary Travels (32884)
Professor Katie Logan
11 February 2016
The Cosmopolitans
The colloquial conception of the cosmopolitan is one who is well-traveled, having lived in and learned from multiple cultures throughout the world – a global citizen. This definition is somewhat vague, as it leaves us to question the impetus behind movement, the particular sites being visited, what specifically the traveler experiences, and what he or she draws from that experience. The cosmopolitan, as described by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, has a “worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing.” What is at the heart of this worldwide worldview? Is it somehow understood to be superior to that of the local? Are the two at odds with one another? Because these and many more questions arise, it is necessary for us to examine the cosmopolitan more closely.
In an article exploring cosmopolitanism, Saliem Fakir, senior lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch, distinguishes between “progressive cosmopolitanism”, which is generally concerned with the unity and community of humankind throughout the world, and “elite cosmopolitanism”, which may describe both the lavish experiences of profligate tourists, and the efforts of multinational corporations to subject sovereign states around the world to the forces of globalization. “While the first seeks the ideal where there is justice and equality for all, the second has a very exclusive outlook and is self-serving.” (Fakir, 1) In other words, the progressive cosmopolitan travels the world and observes the human condition, while the elite cosmopolitan travels the world and sees only the potential for profit or luxury.
In principle, these two brands of cosmopolitan are opposed to one another, yet each possesses an “anti-statist” quality. While the elite prefers to negotiate with weaker nations, more easily manipulable, so the progressive would seek to take advantage of a “crisis of leadership” in which to assert its social and economic agendas with the hopes of restructuring society for the betterment of both the individual and the collective. Is a negative disposition toward the state a natural consequence of the cosmopolitan worldview? Might that impair how the world at large regards the cosmopolitan? If so, doesn't that then damage or complicate the relationships between the national and the transnational?
Perhaps an even more interesting delineation appears in Cosmopolitan, a book which questions the role of Western perspectives in defining the term and promoting the aforementioned aspirations abroad. The authors write, “Refugees, peoples of the diaspora, and migrants and exiles represent the spirit of the cosmopolitical community.” (Breckenridge, 6) If such travelers constitute another distinct class of cosmopolitan, it may be one founded more on lived experience than by such grandiose ideas as characterize the idealistic progressive and the opulent elite, and indeed these experiences stand to be dramatically different from those of the philosopher or the business-class traveler. Transcending borders may be a privilege or concept for one, a matter of survival for the other. The lens through which they view the earth at their feet may reveal to them a vastly different world than the privileged cosmopolitan would see. How would their estrangement and personal experiences affect their opinions regarding human nature, the significance of the nation, and the state of the world as a whole?
A liberal little American mind like mine initially wanted to connect cosmopolitanism with a global egalitarianism, in opposition to such rigid divisions as often fuel racism, sexism, exploitation and warfare. It is not homogeneity that my preconceived cosmopolitan wishes to see, except in the fundamental recognition of human solidarity, a unifying respect for different cultures and the individuals within them. It is not the ubiquity or domination of a particular political or economic system that my cosmopolitan desires, but rather raised living standards, foremost for the impoverished and oppressed. It is not so much about the dismantling of the nation-state as it is about the empowerment of the people. My cosmopolitan is often castigated for naivety and Western perspective; indeed, these are two things that define me.
It occurs to me now that the cosmopolitan should perhaps be defined more by experience than by ideology, as the latter depends significantly on the former. If the cosmopolitan is understood to be one who has experienced and interacted with the world at large, from various places and perspectives, it cannot be for me to say what he or she has seen, nor what it truly means.
Works Cited
Bhabha, Homi; Breckenridge, Carol; Chakrabarty, Dipesh; Pollock, Sheldon. Cosmopolitanism. Duke University Press, 2002. Print.
Fakir, Saliem. “An Anti-State Stance Can Be Manipulated for Opposing Goals” Cape Times 08 Jan. 2008: 9. Print.
Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2016. Web. 1 Feb 2016.