Abstract
In a bit more than one decade, culture has become a crucial issue of the globalization process. In fact, the IT revolution along with the development of transport, the increase of the international commercial exchanges and foreign investments, and the constitution of multinational conglomerates in the cultural sector (television, books, music, and cinema) combined to turn globalization's cultural issues into a battlefield where States are at odds.
Far from being of lesser importance, debates on culture in the globalization process are paramount for fundamental questions stem from them. Is the globalization process jeopardizing cultural diversity or favoring cultural exchanges and therefore cultural and intellectual enrichment? Is it legitimate for States to implement their own policies in order to protect and develop their own cultural identity, expression and industry? Should cultural goods be integrated to the global market, on the basis of free-trade? How can the development of cultural exchanges worldwide be regulated in order to avoid both cultural hegemony and nationalistic protectionism?
