In a recent issue of Catalyst, Jacopo Custodi argued that the left should adopt a ‘rooted cosmopolitanism.’
This sounds like an oxymoron (see note at bottom), a feeling Custodi tries to turn into something productive. He argues that not only can the phrase make sense, but also that wrestling with its implications will allow the left to reconcile popular working-class sentiments with the construction of an international socialist movement.
It’s not hard to imagine the appeal of ‘rooted cosmopolitanism.’ Custodi wants the sense of ‘national belonging’ that most of us feel. But he wants it without all the negatives of nationalist politics. He wants real cosmopolitanism while allowing for the fact that most people – especially working-class people – remain attached to their country of origin.
Can Custodi have his cake and eat it, too?
While I see the appeal of the notion of rooted cosmopolitanism, I don’t think he can.
