Cosmopolitans and Locals in World Culture

Transcultural Brokerage: The Role of Cosmopolitans in Bridging Structural and Cultural Holes

“…The second defining characteristics of cosmopolitanism-openness to other cultures-reflects an appreciation of "…people, places, and experiences from other cultures" (Szerszynski & Urry, 2002: 468) and is considered by many to be a core property of cosmopolitan disposition (Hannerz, 1990;Lee, 2015;Levy et al, 2007;Skrbis, Kendall, & Woodward, 2004;Skey, 2012;Skrbis & Woodward, 2007). Moreover, transcendence and openness can be enacted through a variety of transnational practices and activities such as keeping abreast of world news, consumption of many places and environments, networking and interacting across borders, and transnational mobility (including physical, imaginative, and virtual), among others (Beck, 2002;Szerszynski & Urry, 2002;.…”

“…The notion of cultural embeddedness challenges the traditional idea that cosmopolitanism is inherently defined by detachment and mobility and recognizes the reality of a host of "rooted cosmopolitans" (Cohen, 1992), such as "cosmopolitan patriots" (Appiah, 1997), "working-class cosmopolitans" (Werbner, 1999), and "Chinese cosmopolitans" (Ong, 1999;Ralston, Kai-Cheng, Wang, Terpstra, & We, 1996). Cultural engagement reflects the idea that engaging with the cultural Other 1 is a competence that can range from "thin," "surface," and "banal" (Szerszynski & Urry, 2002) to "thick," "deep," and "reflexive" (Hannerz, 1990) and manifest itself in a wide repertoire of practices. Thus, our conceptualization suggests that while all cosmopolitans are high on transcendence and openness, their paths may diverge depending on how they relate to their own culture and to other cultures.…”

“…Our approach is distinctively interdisciplinary (see Cheng, Henisz, Roth, & Swaminathan, 2009), and we draw on the key literature on cosmopolitanism, globalization, and transnational cultures (e.g., Hannerz, 1990;Skrbis & Woodward, 2007), network theory in sociology and organizational studies (e.g., Burt, 1992;Obstfeld et al, 2014), and research on global work (e.g., Hinds et al, 2011;Brannen & Peterson, 2009) and international and human resource management (e.g., McNulty & Hutchings, 2016;Schuler et al, 2011). Based on these research streams, we first propose a model of cosmopolitanism as an embodied disposition.…”

Cosmopolitanism as a Concept and a Social Phenomenon

“…The same view is held also by G. Delanty who notes that the starting point of the critical cosmopolitan social theory is the recognition of many kinds of cosmopolitanism (2006). At the same time, researchers recognize as an important characteristic of the cosmopolitan idea the emphasis on "openness", pluralism of the modern world order formed as a result of the interaction between local and global entities, and between different cultures themselves (Beck, 2003;Delanty, 2006;Hannerz, 1990Hannerz, , 2005.…”

“…But this willingness to share common values with the another, the desire to "master" other, initially "alien" cultures lead to reflections on identity. Then cosmopolitanism can be regarded as possessing narcissistic traits: identity is constructed in a space where cultures reflect one another (Hannerz, 1990). From the point of view of W. Beck, the central defining characteristic of cosmopolitanism is the "dialogic imagination" by which he means "the collision of cultures and rationalities within the framework of one human life, and "internalized another person" (2003).…”