Cultivating the cosmopolitan child in Silicon Valley

Abstract

How does cosmopolitanism emerge in regions characterised by diversity and difference? This article examines the ways parents living in Silicon Valley, California seek to realise, maintain and manage ‘cultural and political multiplicities’ in their efforts to create cosmopolitan environments and sociality for their children and families. Grappling with the tension between cultivating academic achievement and cosmopolitan sociability, I explore how parents create opportunities for cosmopolitanism experiences and spaces, moving away from schooling towards education through international travel and philanthropy. The article reflects upon the challenges parents face as they attempt to realise their good intentions, ideas and attitudes to facilitate cosmopolitan sociability in a region where diversity is located in everyday interactions and encounters. I conclude by drawing connections between changing practices and how structural constraints influence parents’ approaches to cultivating cosmopolitanism over time.