Activism at the pivot of agenda and agency : critical relatedness and the promise of global citizenship in music education

Abstract

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) offers particular promise encompassing socio-political ideologies, such that the agency of individuals is continuously negotiated with social agendas. Yet these forces do not always align: agendas can enable activism but also constrain or appropriate it, sometimes creating the illusion of agency within predetermined ideological boundaries. Although GCE is often interpreted through diverse orientations, its implications for music education remain underexamined. This essay aims to explore the complex relationship between agenda and agency, examining how their intersections and tensions shape activism when framed through the lens of global citizenship. In this regard, the analysis has focused on the intersubjectivity of activist music education, appraising the agency, the resistance agenda, and the ideological relationships that intertwine them. The results show music education nurturing resilience, critical awareness, and collective resistance when activism becomes genuinely central to GCE. As such, it can cultivate liberatory, critical, and transformative behaviours, enabling educators and students to engage with complexity while resisting the co-optation of their agency and working towards more just and sustainable futures.