Colombijn begins deliberately pessimistic: genocides, wars, ecological destruction and growing social inequality, he says, show that the world is "working against optimism." Yet he defends the need for a form of hopeful engagement with the world. His message is that global citizenship is not a legal status, but an attitude and practice of openness, connection and humility.
Four aspects of global citizenship
Colombijn identifies four key aspects of global citizenship:
The first aspect is a "broad outlook": being open to other perspectives and striving for a more just and sustainable world. World citizenship, according to him, requires idealism, even if that sometimes seems like a luxury from a secure position in Europe.
The second aspect consists of "cosmopolitan skills": the ability to move culturally flexibly and respectfully between different social and cultural contexts. Colombijn illustrates this with personal experiences from Indonesia, where he learned that self-evident Dutch manners can be perceived as rude elsewhere. World citizenship here means: learning to deal with difference, often by making mistakes.
The third aspect is a "sense of belonging" to a broader human and non-human community. Colombijn rejects the idea of world citizenship as an identity vis-à-vis others, because that again creates exclusion. Instead, he argues for a sense of shared dependence between people, animals, nature, and even between generations. Here he refers to UNESCO and to anthropological research that shows how people, even under difficult circumstances, seek recognition and belonging.
The fourth and, according to Colombijn, most important aspect is "awareness of one's own privileges." World citizenship requires self-reflection, modesty and a willingness to make space for others. He calls this "trying modesty": trying to be modest.
Value of anthropology
Anthropology plays a crucial role in this vision. According to Colombijn, anthropology teaches people to truly listen to others, take their perspectives seriously and not immediately judge cultural differences from their own standards. In doing so, he defends cultural relativism and warns against "chronocentrism": condemning people from the past solely with contemporary norms. At the same time, he emphasizes that decolonization of academia is necessary: not only symbolically, but also in who produces knowledge and which voices are central.
The impact of the research and educational vision Colombijn presents lies primarily in the combination of anthropology, education and social responsibility. He sees education not only as knowledge transfer, but as a way to teach students to deal with uncertainty, difference and moral complexity. His pedagogical approach revolves around safety, self-mockery, recognition of mistakes and belief in people's capacity to act.
Optimism against better judgment
Colombijn ends with a cautious but persistent form of optimism. Despite all the global crises, he continues to believe that education and anthropology can help people become more empathetic, critical and humble global citizens. His final image - in which even a figure like Donald Trump could learn to listen to others as an anthropology student - sums up that hopeful attitude: optimism against all odds.