Ethics and education: taking globalization seriously

Central ethical concepts in education should be interpreted in a global frame, beyond the conceptual confines of the nation state. My underlying claim is that globalisation’s effects and significance are profound, but that while new global practices, norms and structures are increasingly evident, developing our key ethical concepts and assumptions accordingly is limited by the narrow and outdated moral universe of the nation state. The intertwined demands of justice and democracy in education now require conceptual adjustment to meet a different world. First, the features and significance of globalisation are considered, with particular reference to globalisation in education, as well as political globalisation as indicative of the now outdated model of the Westphalian state. Secondly, a revised conception of justice based on recognition of global association is sketched and illustrated by the case of the global campaign for Education for All. Thirdly, possibilities for globally democratic decision-making after the monopoly of the nation state are outlined, advancing the discussion towards some concluding observations about the implications of the argument for the education of global citizens