Global Citizenship in Australia: Theory and Practice

There exists in Australia a significant group of intellectuals whose distinguishing feature is their global outlook on politics and law. These are writers and activists who call upon universalist values to criticise and reform institutions and practices in Australia, and in other countries. By universalism is meant a doctrine, such as world peace, international human rights, or ecological sustainability, whose principles – moral and political – apply to all people whatever their gender, religion, culture, or political location. The Australians who hold such values are not the traditional kind of detached scholars or academics; they are engaged intellectuals who interpret, adapt and promote political ideas emphasising the global community to which all Australians belong. As ‘global citizens’, they attempt to enlarge Australian notions of political identity beyond thenational. Contrary to certain nationalist and populist views, these intellectuals are not ‘rootless cosmopolitans’, unmindful of local concerns and affiliations, but strongly grounded in Australian society.Their ideas, life andworkoffer anewdimension toourunderstanding of globalisation, citizenship, and the scope for political action. This book draws out that important transnational tradition of political thought and action. As engaged activists or publicists, such intellectuals interpret, adapt, promote, and creatively apply political ideas that are usually formulated by others.Byarticulatingand transmitting social andpolitical ideas toabroader public, they may be said to produce a form of Australian political thought.2 These people rarely exert direct, formal political power, though they may 1