Efforts to protect local culture from the homogenizing effects of globalization are often intertwined with other, sometimes questionable, motives, including economic protectionism and the political suppression of ideas. Because the topic of culture can, almost by definition, encompass almost every human endeavor, it is often difficult to draw lines around what are legitimate cultural activities, worthy of special protective measures.
Think back on some of the efforts discussed in this Issue in Depth that were undertaken in the name of protecting local culture from globalization:
* the Canadian magazine dispute
* an exemption for whaling
* protecting the “multifunctionality” of family farms
* asserting “Asian values”