Children as Cosmopolitan Citizens: Reproducing and Challenging Cultural Hegemony

Abstract

The article argues that, although digital and social media provide space and means for children's cosmopolitan citizenship, the tendency to reproduce cultural and ethnic stereotypes and prejudice prevalent in mainstream media can limit their capability and willingness to act and think as such. Drawing upon qualitative participatory research conducted with more than seventy children living in the Czech Republic, the article explores how children's media practice had a tendency to reproduce cultural hegemony. The paper ultimately argues that multicultural education and media education can together support children in reflecting on and challenging cultural hegemony, while at the same time potentially contribute to their transnational participation and cooperation with the use of digital and social media.

Including the Experiences of Children and Youth in Media Education

“…In the first two project-based media education programs, we hoped to answer questions about externally imposed ideas and practices of inclusion that often appear in media education for children and youth. Nurturing students' media literacy, knowledge, agency, and civic participation through such programs is an important way to meaningfully increase social inclusivity (Marci-Boehncke & Trapp, 2019;Supa et al, 2021). Also, in line with Dewey's (1938, p. 20) theory of experiential learning, we focused on nurturing and respecting the "intimate and necessary relation between the proves of actual experience and education," and providing the students with an opportunity to create media content themselves.…”

“…That is why Neag et al (2022) argue that inclusive media literacy education should be directed at both majority students and students living on the margins of society. Beyond teaching children to analyze and critically evaluate media messages, media education can also support children and youth in using the media to connect with people from different cultures and countries and take a stand against negative stereotypes and assumptions about others (Supa et al, 2021). Media education can contribute to a more inclusive society in diverse and complex ways.…”

“…It was repeated three times and was attended by 60 10 to 11-year-olds. The workshop was designed based on findings generated by 25 focus groups with a total of 85 children (46 girls and 39 boys) aged eight to 12 and conducted in four public schools in the Czech Republic in 2019 (see Supa et al, 2021;Tejkalova et al, 2021). The focus groups explored (a) children's attitudes toward people from diverse cultures and their relationships with them, as formed by the media content the children consume and produce, and (b) issues of diversity and conformity in the children's peer culture.…”

Representation of the Postcolonial Migrants’ Multi-Religious Cultures and the Fantasy of Christianity in John Lanchester’s Capital

“…The girl replied that he belonged to Muslim. The boy replied that he threw a bomb (22). The common people wrongly think that Muslims always disturb the world and do violence everywhere.…”

Exploring Pedagogical Practices to Cultivate Wisdom, Courage, and Compassion as Key Tenets of Global Citizenship: A Qualitative Study

“…Our world is facing unprecedented crises that include, but are not limited to pandemic, war, mass shootings, racism, threats to democracy, and ultranationalism (Goulah, 2020;Ikeda, 2020;Supa et al, 2021). What is needed more than ever is a significant educative impact in strengthening people's inherent capacity to overcome the tendencies that cause violence and division, and instead cultivate the potential for promoting peaceful coexistence and well-being of all forms of liferooted in shared humanity, appreciation for diversity, and sense of global citizenship.…”