Cosmopolitanism and rural education: a conversation

Abstract

In this paper, recent research into the global movement of teachers [C. Reid, J. Collins, and M. Singh. 2014. Global Teachers, Australian Perspectives: Goodbye Mr Chips, Hello Ms Banerjee. Singapore: Springer] and their experiences in rural areas of Australia are discussed in order to make the case for a cosmopolitan education theory and practice. The paper is divided into four sections. First, is an overview of cosmopolitanism and the rural drawing on Appadurai's [1996. Modernity At Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.] conceptualisation of scapes (1996) and Vertovec's [2007. “Super-Diversity and its Implications.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 30 (6): 1024–1054] notion of super-diversity. Second, a brief comparison of the key elements of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism are outlined in order to reveal the ways in which they differ, and why cosmopolitanism might be useful in understanding rural education. Third, a slice of data from the study of the global movement of teachers is examined to mount the argument that there is a need to consider cosmopolitan social and education theory to respond to new conditions. In doing so, rural spaces are opened up as transformative and transformed, rather than ‘Other’ to the metropolis. The paper concludes with key points regarding the usefulness of cosmopolitanism for understanding education in rural areas.