Cosmopolitan Strategies
The demographic challenges of post-industrialized societies, political tensions and natural disasters combine with rapid developments in information, transportation and communication technologies to promote the mobility of people internationally. Population movements change the organization of societies while issues surrounding the “management” of cultural diversity pose challenges. This article presents cosmopolitanism as a response to these contemporary changes. It focuses particularly on the implementation of cosmopolitan strategies deployed by members of the Baha’i1 community of Montreal, an international and heterogeneous religious group whose message is one of world unity. Through the principle of “unity in diversity”, Baha’i teachings and practices help to create ties between people from many different backgrounds with the aim of constructing a Baha’i “global village”.