No Global Citizenship? Re-Envisioning Global Citizenship Education in Times of Growing Nationalism

This article presents a discussion of the author's concern over a statement President Trump made in his first Thank You Tour speech, given Dec 1, 2016, in Cincinnati Ohio. "There is no global anthem. No global currency. No certificate of global citizenship. We pledge allegiance to one flag and that flag is the American flag." Here Elizabeth Barrow writes that this single statement delivered in a speech marking a return to candidate Trump's isolationist and nationalistic rhetoric has alarmed international educators and researchers who fear that this resurgence of nationalism is, at best, ignoring, and at worst, undermining, global education and global citizenship education in the United States. Barrow explains that recent global increases in nationalist rhetoric and actions as countries and nation-states around the world isolate themselves in response to economic, political, and social issues, such as increased refugee immigration: Brexit in the United Kingdom (Taub, 2016); Hungary and Macedonia closing borders (Kingsley, 2015; Huggler & Holehouse, 2016); Russia's annexation of Crimea, grabbing land and territory in the name of nationalism(Arnold, 2016) are equally disturbing. Barrow defends the position that Nationalism and patriotism have been a part of citizenship education since its inception, but nationalism coupled with an ignorance of the world outside of the United States leads to a perpetuation of U.S. ethnocentrism and exceptionalism. She believes that promoting nationalism and patriotism have been a part of citizenship education since its inception, but nationalism coupled with an ignorance of the world outside of the United States leads to a perpetuation of U.S. ethnocentrism and exceptionalism. Barrow insists that a recognition of our world's shared humanity lives within the core of global citizenship education. The article concludes with a call from "High School Journal" for educators, researchers, and policymakers to submit original manuscripts that explore the predicament of teaching global citizenship in a hyper patriotic and nationalistic society, and describe the ways that educators are responding to it.