Pathways to Cosmopolitanism

A Collaborative Research Intiative between the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS and the University of Manchester

As a universal moral ideal and a form of cultural disposition, cosmopolitanism has been widely debated in academic literatures. Generally, scholarship has described cosmopolitanism as attitudes and sets of skills that provide actors with the capacity to understand and negotiate cultural diversity. More recently, there has also been a revival of the term in the social sciences and humanities that has spawned a wide range of work.
 
Yet, how is cosmopolitanism actually lived and experienced in everyday life and urban spaces by diverse groups of social actors? How might everyday cosmopolitanism depart from and even challenge conventional notions and/or celebratory accounts of cosmopolitanism often proffered by the state and market forces? As much of the research and conceptualisation of cosmopolitanism is written through the ‘Western city’ and western philosophical canon, what relevance can these approaches have to the urban cultural experiences of those in Asian cities? Do Asian cities present alternative modes of cosmopolitanism? Or, do they problematise the very universal claims inherent to the term?

These issues and questions form the basis of a collaborative research initiative between the Research Institute of Cosmopolitan Cultures, University of Manchester, and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS.

Pathways to Cosmopolitanism is a collaborative research initiative that has been developed between the Research Institute of Cosmopolitan Cultures, University of Manchester, and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS. The initiative provides a platform for holding joint conferences and workshops; developing research collaborations between faculty members of NUS and Manchester, as well as for doctoral students working in the area of ‘Cities and Cosmopolitan Cultures’ to spend a semester at the host university under co-supervision arrangements. Doctoral students intending to work in the area of ‘Cities and Cosmopolitan Cultures’ are eligible for this programme.

New and existing NUS doctoral students intending to work in the area of 'Cities and Cosmopolitan Cultures' may apply for the Collaborative Exchange PhD Programme (full research scholarship available). Click here for more details.