Wallerstein argues that we are living in a time when the current world system (i.e., capitalism) is transitioning to a new world order, system, or even multitude of systems. He believes we are currently in a pivotal moment in history – a period of transition to a new social system, which he refers to as a period of bifurcation. In this context, he introduces a new concept or notion of utopistics. Utopistics represent the capacity for a sober assessment of existing social systems, their limitations, and the areas where improvement and human creativity are still possible. They provide space for real alternatives that could, over time, replace the declining system of capitalism (Wallerstein 1999). In the past four decades, we have witnessed a reconception of the cosmopolitan idea defined as a morally and politically substantive doctrine capable of offering serious guidance for policymaking. Based on their commitment to the ideal of global citizenship, cosmopolitans represent a transnational perspective – i.e., the perspective of all global citizens – as they believe that rights should not be limited to specific groups of people, but rather apply to all people globally. In this thesis, I analyzed data collected within the framework of the European Social Survey. What proved important was the subjective feeling of financial security, and not objective income levels. Women show higher levels of cosmopolitan values than men, while young people express greater support for global institutions. Individuals with higher levels of education achieve higher scores in all four dimensions of cosmopolitanism.
|
