Abstract: Is the nation-state system the optimal way to organize world affairs, or should humanity move toward some sort of global union or federation? Do ethnicity and nationality have moral and political significance? Should trade and migration be celebrated or lamented? These are some of the key issues confronting humanity in the twenty-first century, expressed in an ideological antagonism between nationalism and cosmopolitanism that now engulfs Western democracies. After the West’s victory in the Cold War, it was widely believed that world history had entered a cosmopolitan era, distinguished by open minds and open borders. But during the past decade, a resurgence of ethnic nationalism and the increasingly adversarial state of international affairs have dashed such expectations, with many observers drawing parallels to the early twentieth century. This talk presents findings from past and ongoing research about nationalism and cosmopolitanism, highlighting the centrality of this ideological cleavage to both domestic and foreign policy.

Bio: Ritter was awarded a PhD in media and communication studies from Stockholm University in 2020 and joined the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication as a senior research fellow in 2021. His work on cosmopolitanism has been published in the Journal of Political Ideologies.

The draft version of an anthology chapter on moral cosmopolitanism can be requested from the author.

Register for the seminar here.