Global citizenship: Buzzword or new instrument for educational change?

Worldwide, deep societal changes brought by globalization, the expansion of ICT (information and communication technology) and increased cultural and ethnic diversity have entailed an unprecedented rise in interest for post-national and global citizenship models. This has resulted in a growing body of literature from various fields such as education, psychology and philosophy. However, global citizenship seems to be both an attractive and contested concept. Attractive because we all seek to find answers as to how to better live together in a globalized world. Contested because it appears conceptually fragile and difficult to implement in national contexts. In the first part of this editorial, we analyze how it has become a strong focus in educational, political and intellectual discourse. The second part addresses the lack of conceptual clarity as well as the conceptual divides associated with it. The third part describes the possibilities and opportunities of implementing global citizenship in educational landscapes.