In this article, a continuum of resistance and receptivity constitutes a framework forunderstanding a cosmopolitan orientation “on the ground.” Such a continuum isbased on an understanding of the effects of globalization, when it comes to individualpeople, as both containing a potential for an active interest in other ways oflife, and a resistance toward others’ values and ways of living triggered by a feelingof being forced into situations without one’s own voluntarily choice. The notion ofcontinuum implies that each individual occupies a different position depending onthe situation and context, and that these positions can shift. In the conceptual useof cosmopolitanism in empirical studies, there is need for more developed andspecified terms to be used as analytical tools for discerning if and when somethingmay be considered as a possible cosmopolitan orientation. For this purpose, thefour capacities for self-reflexivity, hospitality, intercultural dialogue and transactionsof perspectives, are developed out of Delanty’s understanding of criticalcosmopolitanism. To be able to distinguish between institutionalized routineconversations and conversations that seem to engage the students in a more activecosmopolitan meaning making, the continuum of efferent and aesthetic-reflectiveexperiences, taken from Rosenblatt’s studies of reading, has been suggested. A preliminary analysis of data from an empirical research study focused on classroomconversations, and contextualized by an analysis of a curriculum concerning fundamentalvalues, indicates that it is possible to discern different discursive actionsof self-reflexivity and hospitality in classroom conversations, as well as a potential for intercultural dialogue.