Global citizenship education at the crossroads: Globalization, global commons, common good, and critical consciousness

Abstract This article-dialogue addresses current criticisms of global citizenship and challenges frequent misinterpretations of Global Citizenship Education (GCE), while discussing what it means to educate for critical global citizenry in an increasingly multicultural world. It starts by considering the phenomena of globalization and the UN Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), which aims at furthering global citizenship, to highlight the relationship between GCE, “global-peace”, global commons, and common good. Building on the assumption that GCE should be about learners’ emancipation toward critical consciousness, the dialogue concludes drawing a parallel between the “mission” of GCE in contemporary educational institutions and Paulo Freire’s notion of critical consciousness.