Protecting Cultural Identity in an Age of Nationalism
Across the world, nationalism is resurging. Political movements increasingly speak in the language of borders, heritage, sovereignty, and identity. At the same time, globalization continues to reshape economies, media ecosystems, and cultural landscapes at a rapid pace. Many people feel caught between two forces: on one side, the fear of cultural erosion; on the other, the fear of cultural exclusion and authoritarianism. This tension has led to a critical confusion in public discourse: the difference between protecting culture and weaponizing culture . Cultural preservation and aggressive nationalism are not the same. In fact, conflating them damages both democracy and heritage. If we are to move forward in pluralistic societies, we must learn how to safeguard cultural identity without turning it into a tool of supremacy or political domination. What Is Culture? Culture is not merely food, festivals, or folklore. Nor is it reducible to ethnicity or race. Culture is a l...
