Name: Sunil. K
Country: India

Year: 2025
Volume: Volume No: 10, Issue No: 2, Year: 2025 (Special Issue)
Page Number: 171-178
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18268049

ABSTRACT
In an era of intensifying globalization, the concept of cosmopolitanism has reemerged as a central theme in educational discourse. Global Citizenship Education (GCE), championed by UNESCO, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (OECD), and various national education ministries, is promoted as a pedagogical framework for preparing students to engage with complex global issues. This paper offers a sociological analysis of GCE with a particular focus on how it cultivates cosmopolitan dispositions in students. Drawing on cosmopolitanism theory and sociology of education, the study employs a comparative case study of two international secondary schools, supplemented by discourse analysis of policy documents and thematic coding of interviews and focus groups. Findings highlight three dynamics: (1) the embedding of cosmopolitan values through curricula and pedagogy, (2) tensions between global identities and local/national traditions, and (3)
socioeconomic inequalities shaping access to cosmopolitan education. The paper argues that while GCE fosters intercultural understanding, it risks reinforcing global inequalities unless situated in critical and inclusive pedagogies. Implications for educators and policymakers include ensuring equitable access, embracing plural epistemologies, and cultivating reflexive forms of cosmopolitanism.

Keywords: Cosmopolitanism, Global Citizenship Education, Sociology of Education, Globalization, Intercultural Competence