Problematizing ‘global citizenship’ in an international school

Over the past few decades, dramatic social, economic and spatial transformations associated with globalisation have led to new forms of mobility, connectivity and transnationality. In response, new imaginations and practices regarding the aims and purposes of education have emerged. A growing trend in this context is an amplified political and theoretical focus on ‘global citizenship’ as a key education priority. However, despite widespread support for its development and an abundance of policy ideas and educational practices associated with it, wildly different definitions and understandings proliferate in relation to global citizenship. This chapter problematizes the meanings of global citizenship found in an international school located in Thailand, which has strong commitments to promoting the concept. Drawing upon ethnographic research conducted in the school and an emerging body of literature on global citizenship, the paper argues that the concept remains highly contested, not only amongst theorists and policy-makers, but also by those ‘at the chalkface’. This lack of clarity poses significant problems for researchers, policy makers and educators who seek to further develop global citizenship as part of a more global approach to schooling reform.