Ulrich Beck is a German social scientist who has made important additions to how our modern culture solves problems. Cosmopolitan Vision explores the changing world that has been created with globalization. When he talks about globalization he means the globalization of capital and the impact on traditional ways of thinking.
Cosmopolitan Vision makes the argument that nationalism and patriotism to a particular nation state are no longer useful. In fact this type of thinking is detrimental to relationships. There are still boundaries in the world but they are not as rigid as they once were. This is due to the electronic movement of money and information. The idea of no boundaries or even soft boundaries around nation-states is terrifying to some people. Beck suggests that instead of fear the new age be welcomed as a way to learn to live a better and different life.
The formation of the European Union (EU) is an example. Many people are still questioning whether they want to be a part of the EU. The EU has made traveling between European countries very easy because only one passport is needed. Also traveling, business and scientific collaboration are both easier and more efficient because of the common currency, the Euro.
Beck argues that the reason the cosmopolitan view is so important is because it is a strategy of inclusion instead of exclusion. Another person is different from us in many ways in gender, language, dress and religion for instance. Even though the person is different in many ways he or she is still a part of the human race. All people are part of the human race. We are the same as each other in more important ways than we are different from each other. No alternative superhuman or subhuman who will save us or injure us exists. We are all people we are all humans. (Beck, 2006, 65)
A concept that Beck explains is that the natural social order isn’t being followed by the modern concept of boundaries and exclusion. He says that the reason that transnationals are so frightening to many people is because they cut across the rigid manufactured order formed by nationalism (Beck, 2006, 62 & 65). He goes on to explain that “The classical predisposition of the individual that marks classical sociology to this . . . they are compelled to build bridges in order to survive” (Beck, 2006, 67).
Ethnic cosmopolitanism falls in between the extremes of total integration of the ethnic characteristics into the whole as opposed to emphasizing ethnic differences. His example is how marginalized groups in a society start identifying with their history. They identify with that history and their ethnic group uses that history to distinguish itself from the majority. Beck calls this a cosmopolitan solution. (Beck, 2006, 13)
Beck (2006) lists the three social science research categories for globalization studies; (a) interconnectedness, (b) new metaphors of liquidity, and (c) cosmopolitism and methodological cosmopolitanism (78-82). People are interconnected now by the way the consumer process works, but the global dangers being faced are motivating people to join in action. This acting together is an example of cosmopolitan interconnectedness. The old metaphors for liquidity have to do with currency issues. The new liquidity has to do with, for example, transnational movement. Methodological cosmopolitan is defined by variety in perspectives.
Beck has defined a basically optimistic cosmopolitan theory which joins people rather than encourages conflict.
Reference
Beck, Ulrich. (2006). Cosmopolitan Vision. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. pp. 1-99
