Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

Theories of cosmopolitanism remain underdeveloped and controversial primarily because they arise almost exclusively from the Anglo-American philosophical tradition and employ its characteristic approaches.

The U.S.-China Research Group on Cosmopolitanism, convened by Philip J. Ivanhoe of Georgetown University in collaboration with Peng Guoxiang of Zhejiang University, brings together nine scholars from the United States and the Chinese cultural sphere. It aims to develop and pursue a structured dialogue around theoretical and practical problems related to cosmopolitanism with the goal of identifying issues of shared concern.

In order to initiate the group's inquiry into the nature and future of cosmopolitanism, each participant has composed a short reflection describing their initial thoughts on cosmopolitanism. These served as the basis of their first meeting and provided a good introduction to the work of the research group. Please continue to the Essay section below to read their work. 

In preparation for their second meeting in Hong Kong in May 2023, members of the U.S.-China Research Group on Cosmopolitanism have been working on a second set of papers, in which they present more developed accounts of what cosmopolitanism can be, based upon their initial inquiries and subsequent conversations. It is the hope of the group that those who read these presentations will take them as points of departure for an ongoing, productive, and mutually edifying conversation.

The members of the research group have also generated a bibliography on cosmopolitanism that will be continually updated in the course of the project.