Global versus intercultural citizenship education

Given the growing presence of citizens with cultural differences, it is no longer appropriate to base citizenship on the individual belonging of a nation-state. It has become necessary to develop a new concept of citizenship that considers the existing multiple identities of people. This idea has gradually permeated educational policies on citizenship of international institutions such as UNESCO, which has introduced the concept of global citizenship education (GCE). This article is intended to enrich readers’ reflection on GCE through the incorporation of an intercultural approach, to overcome nationalistic, Western-centric, and neoliberal conceptions, and to promote dialogue and interaction between different learners. Research on citizenship education and intercultural competence carried out by the Centre for Intercultural Studies, University of Verona, Italy, provides additional stimuli to foster reflection.