Dr. Basilio Monteiro discusses "Being a Third Culture Kid"

Being a Third Culture Kid is a social and informal blog that seeks to illuminate the experiences and significance of third culture kids also known as global citizens.

Today, the world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever. Thanks to technological advances, the world sometimes feels smaller than it was a century ago. Bearing this in mind, what is the importance of global citizens in today’s world?  What role do they play in this globalized era?

Dr. Basilio Monteiro, Chair and Associate Professor, Division of Mass Communication, Director, Institute for International Communication discusses the Significance of Global Citizenship for the blog Being a Third Culture Kid.

1. What is a global citizen, and what does being a global citizen mean to you?

Global citizen is a state of mind. When we think of citizenship, we usually conflate it with belonging to a nation-state with specific rights and duties. We can think of global citizenship in a much broader way, I would call it in much more “liberated” way. We belong to planet earth – today we feel on our skin global climate consequences. Nation-sates, citizenships, sovereignty are artificial constructs developed over the millennia for the purposes of governing the ever-complex society.  

A global citizen has a mental space to welcome any one with respect and curiosity. A global citizen respects different cultures and sees value in them

2. How did you become a global citizen?

My education in four different countries and three different continents was the beginning of the opening of the mental space. My intellectual curiosity to know, understand people and see value in all corners of the world. I like to travel (not tourism) to learn. I spend lot of time in the villages of the countries I travel to.  I am a perennial student of sociology and anthropology. I like languages. I studied a few and I am proficient in some and in others have enough working knowledge to get me by. When I travel to a country, I make an effort to learn common phrases people use.

3. How has your experience as a global citizen been?

It has been marvelous. I am much “richer” in “global” understanding/knowledge of the people from around the world.

4. What are the pros and cons of being a global citizen?

I do not see any “cons” in being a global citizen as I understand as a mental disposition. The “pros” are inexhaustible. I enjoy the “restless curiosity” in search of knowledge. 

5. Is there a difference between your interaction with non-global citizens and global citizens? What are the differences?

Not all individuals born and lived in many countries are necessarily “global citizens.” As I indicated above, global citizenship is not about having legal citizenship” in many countries. Global citizenship is an attitude. To answer your question: some individuals, despite being migrants of multiple countries, they remain very parochial. Some individuals who are mono-citizens, have much better disposition to be open and curious about other countries, cultures, and have profound respect to these cultures.

6. How do others, particularly non-global citizens, relate to you?

The so called “non-global citizens” usually are eager to visit, travel and learn from other countries. Often times they get caught up in tourism instead of travelling and learning about the countries they visit. They need guidance/education.

7. Is the way you relate to people, places, and things different because of your global citizenship status?

It is NOT my Global Citizen status, but my attitude, my disposition, my mental space. Yes, I would like to believe that people respond to me the way they do because of my global citizen attitude. I enjoy meeting people and learning from them.

8. Would you say that you respond to global events, such as the war in Ukraine and Congo, human rights protests in Iran, Black Lives Matter movement in the US, differently from your non-global citizens' counterparts? How so? In what ways?

Yes, I have a global and larger historical perspective. Human history is replete with brutality. What is happening today is nothing new. Knowledge of history is very important.   

9. What would you change if you could change something about your experience as a global citizen? Or maybe not change? Or experience more of?

Of course, not change. I would like to keep learning; human history and lives are very complex.

Is Global Citizenship Attainable?

10. Should everyone be a global citizen? Should this be a desired thing?

Yes, today than ever before, everyone must be a global citizen in the way I described above: an attitude of global citizen embracing the planet. With disaster of the climate change looming over humankind, we must develop an intense sense of belonging to the planet earth, where there are no boundaries, no nation-state-based sovereignty.

11. How do you become a global citizen?

It is an interesting question. Since global citizen is not a legal construct, one does not deal with state-sovereignty issues. There is no global citizen passport issued by any entity. It is simply ones ATTITUDE/DISPOSITION to be open minded and willing to create a mental space to the globe and its all species.

12. Can you acquire global citizenship intentionally? What are the ways to do so? Especially for adults who didn’t have the opportunity to while younger?

Acquiring global citizenship 😊? Well, one cannot acquire global citizenship through a legal process. Educate oneself, be open minded, be curious about the world and its people, everyone has something good to contribute to the greater good. Global citizenship is about creating a mental space for the globe.

13. What are two or three last things you would like the world to know about you as a global citizen?

That I enjoy engaging people in different parts of the world and learn from them. That people have much to teach, and all people are inherently good.

14. What is your charge to the world as a global citizen?

Have an open mind, open heart, be willing to learn from others who live in the peripheries, and respect everyone, even if it is difficult to understand and absorb.