A Cosmopolitan Sensibility:
Compelling Stories from a Communication Perspective
A Cosmopolitan Sensibility calls for a heightened appreciation and capacity to respond sensitively to the plethora of complex social and cultural influences around us. And it calls urgently for greater care and compassion in our being with others in the complex multiverse of the 21st century.
The contributors to this collection share this sense of urgency for making our social worlds better and find the idea of a cosmopolitan sensibility offers fresh ideas and new hopes for doing so. The authors of each chapter explore a facet of this cosmopolitan sensibility that they find particularly compelling. They consider:
- What new mindset and communication skills are called for with a cosmopolitan sensibility?
- How can we hold the sense of incompleteness and complexity that comes with such a sensibility as we live into differences?
- What does it take to foster this sensibility in young children so they become compassionate and responsible future citizens?
- How can the potential of cosmopolitan communication be unleashed for couples to reinvigorate their relationships?
- What would a cosmopolitan organization look like and how can we possibly shape that vision into being?
- How can we bring a cosmopolitan sensibility to the party to create stronger participatory democracy?
- How can changing our stories about ourselves and our social worlds change conflict situations?
- How can a cosmopolitan sensibility help our servicemen and women transcend the current US civilian-military divide and develop a more inclusive and shared moral order?
- And how can we sensibly go on in a relationally-responsive and reflexive manner to make better social worlds?