Today we inhabit a world in which extractive capitalism has expanded to reach almost every corner of the earth and every aspect of our lives. The planetary environment is at risk, as evidenced by the loss of biodiversity, the effects of climate change, and the devastating global impact of the current pandemic. Revolutions in information technology, social media, and artificial intelligence have opened up new frontiers of innovation and communication, but also new possibilities for surveillance. Borders are fastidiously maintained and continuously traversed, not least of all by a global surge in refugees who are unwelcome at home and vilified abroad. Authoritarian regimes are ascendent, fueled by new forms of racism and nationalism, including anti-immigrant and anti-refugee politics. These new forces bring people together while also putting them at risk and in conflict in unforeseen ways.

What does it mean to be a “citizen” of such a world? The aim of the Reimagining Cosmopolitanism project, jointly organized by the Neubauer Collegium and the Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory (2021–25), was to initiate a robust dialogue that reimagines cosmopolitanism for our times. The research team collaborated with an international group of scholars to develop a new and critical set of conceptual tools and categories. This event will celebrate the publication of The Oxford Handbook of Cosmopolitanism, featuring contributions from scholars across disciplines and geographies who creatively and critically theorize new forms, sites, and manifestations of cosmopolitanism.

The event has been organized by Dipesh Charkrabarty and Lisa Wedeen and includes a performance by Syrian opera singer Noma Omran.