What is global citizenship? An anti racist approach
We are often asked “what is global citizenship?” and it’s a question I never tire of exploring. In this article, one of our fabulous volunteers, Nadya, takes a look at how easy it is for all of us to be global citizens.
Whenever I arrive at an airport in the UK and approach passport control I see two lanes, one for those who have easy access into the country and for those who need to be questioned to be allowed in. I fall under the category whose presence must be permitted. Moments like these reveal to me why global citizenship does not exist in practice.
Being granted entry by a border officer does not necessarily mean I can move freely. Occasionally, just beyond the border gates, there are further checks from UK police. I, a person of mixed origin from a poorer country, was once stopped and asked the same questions about why I was in the UK and what I did for a living, as if my presence needed further justification. Some bodies can decide which bodies are allowed to move freely.
Having my white British husband with me often makes passport control quicker. In Denmark, I went through first and noticed hesitation from the border officer as I explained why I was travelling. I was however allowed in. When my husband followed, the officer said we should have gone through together, recognising us as a couple on holiday. I then felt that my presence in Denmark was more acceptable.
At customs people of colour can be more likely to be stopped and searched. On the same trip to Denmark, I saw a brown man asked where he was coming from; when he answered India, his bag was taken for search. This is all while the others, mostly white people, were allowed to carry on with their day.
These experiences make me wonder what we mean when we speak about global citizenship. Is it a benevolent idea, rooted in the belief that we are born equal and share the same world?
Yet we are not born equal. We are born into different economic conditions that shape how we are seen and treated. Being a global citizen is a privilege shaped by global inequality, determining who is able to move and who is recognised as belonging.
Alternatively, should we define global citizenship as an ideal to strive for?
In practice it is a concept that can be misleading because it hides inequalities. A global citizen is someone who can move easily across borders, more often than not from a historically imperial state. For others, movement is restricted, and in some cases can involve refusal of entry or even danger. These differences are shaped by systems of racial and economic inequality.
Perhaps then, a global citizen is someone who recognises these inequalities and asks “What is to be done?
We need to challenge structures of oppression, including economic inequality, and recognise how privilege shapes our position within these systems. In Wales, this includes engaging with the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan, which aims to eradicate racism by 2030. However, based on my experiences and those of others, this goal feels distant unless there is real structural change at government level alongside active resistance to everyday racism from all of us.
Anti-racism is the foundation of global citizenship, a concept that cannot fully exist within systems that allow some to become global citizens while others are never recognised as such. As long as these inequalities persist, global citizenship remains uneven in practice. For us living in Wales, this requires both collective and individual action: recognising global inequalities, connecting them to local contexts, speaking out against racism, and holding the Welsh government accountable for its commitments.
If you would like to find out more about this topic, take a look at the resources on our website.