At the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of "cosmopolitanism" stands in the middle of a field of debates about ways in which people engage with the world and relate to cultural diversity. Through a combination of theoretical analysis and empirical studies, the Kosmopolit project aims at illuminating the relationships between the cultural and political dimensions of cosmopolitanism, current shifts in its social bases, and its top-down and bottom-up forms in global society. The component studies of the project include: (1) an analysis of contemporary global scenarios, their production and their place in public debate; (2) a study of how narrative forms in TV news reporting influence audience responses; (3) a study of political and institutional networks around "Global Governance"; (4) a study of the spread of cosmopolitan conflict management and its current significance in Macedonia; and (5) three ethnographic studies of variations in institutional and subcultural bases for cosmopolitan activities and experiences. One deals with the gay scene in Russian cities, one with student exchange within the ERASMUS program, and one with peacekeeping operations within the UN system, with an emphasis on preparatory training. Together the studies within the project aim at giving a multifaceted understanding of the ways in which the institutions, forms of life, world images and personal commitments of our time shape an increasingly dense and multiform web of connections across national boundaries.