In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that one of us loves football, tea and the Queen. The other prefers soccer, coffee and Kate Middleton. In fact, we have a sneaking suspicion that the only thing that qualifies us to speak on the role of a citizen in a global community is the fact that one of us is a Brit and the other is an American.
We do know a thing or two about being a citizen in a global community. We wouldn’t be on the same campus, in the same class, writing a column for the campus paper together if it weren’t for globalization.
Globalization means the whole world must come together to confront certain problems such as climate change, the financial crisis and nuclear proliferation.
Globalization, empowered by technology, allows us to communicate directly with people all over the world at any time. Globalization also fuels the idea that the concept of the nation-state is becoming increasingly less important.
So why does it matter if one of us is a Brit and the other is an American? In this interconnected world, how big of a role does the nation-state play in how people view themselves as citizens?
When we asked our class to define “citizenship,” we were shocked by how many used the words “nation,” “country,” and “state.” Although our fellow students are a part of this global community and are invested in tackling some of the global issues that transcend national borders, their perception of citizenship remains first and foremost tied to their nation.
The concept of citizenship is a two-way street. There is the expectation that in return for our governments providing services and protections to us, we have a responsibility to take an active part in civic life.
No group we participate in or call ourselves a part of gives us greater protection or services than our national government. As long as this is the case — and it does not seem to be changing any time soon — it appears that our primary loyalty will always lie with our nation-state.
But the time for isolationism has passed. We live in this world with a clear identity — in our cases, British and American — but continue to think globally. We retain our loyalty to our homeland, but never cease to look outward.
