Cosmopolitanism is one of the most venerable intellectual traditions in the history of political philosophy. From the ancient Greek Diogenes’ claim to be “a citizen of the world” through to Kant’s Enlightenment vision of a world government and even into our own time, the idea of cosmopolitanism has stirred the moral imagination of many throughout history. Arguably the Brexit referendum result and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 marked the first major public repudiation of the transnational, globalizing cosmopolitan ideals that have arguably dominated politics in the liberal democratic West since the end of the Cold War. This volume reconsiders cosmopolitanism and its discontents in the age of Brexit and Trump by bringing together the great thinkers in the history of political philosophy and contemporary reflections on the problems and possibilities of international relations, human rights, multiculturalism, and regnant theories of democracy and the state.

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Edited by Ward (Baylor Univ.), this volume provides a diverse, erudite collection of 14 essays on aspects of cosmopolitanism in Western political thought throughout history. Perspectives on the importance of this mode of thinking from the Roman Republic to the modern EU are provided. Given the increased criticism of cosmopolitanism in contemporary politics (in some cases even its rejection), as witnessed in both the UK Brexit debate and Trump’s US policy discourse, the value of a "cosmopolitan ... worldview" is shown to be deserving of reevaluation. The volume touches on global issues related to contemporary citizenship, and readers may conclude that a shared international mission can best be attained by looking to the inherited tradition. . . The chapters on Cicero (first century BCE) and Althusius (1557–1638) are exemplary. . . the book provides a useful survey and encourages deeper exploration—even "conversation"—between the advocates and the critics of cosmopolitanism. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.