Regionalism in cultural globalization: A study of international trade of selected cultural products from year 1995 to year 2004

This study attempted to contribute to the debate on cultural globalization with respect to one particular aspect: trading of cultural products in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Regional Integration Agreements (RIAs). A theoretical framework for understanding different views and political and economical venues regarding trade in cultural sectors and its relationship to world's cultural diversity was presented. The WTO and its liberalization process were revealed as problematic in cultural sectors. The analysis demonstrated that WTO rules diminished cultural diversity by discriminatorily encouraging cultural trading among developed countries and exporting from developed countries to developing countries. As counterbalance, the RIAs as geo-cultural spaces to promote cultural diversity and to mediate the conflict between the cultural values and the economic objectives of trade liberalization was proposed. Findings suggested that RIAs were more effective to accommodate cultural and economic aspirations of developing countries and to achieve cultural diversity on a global scale.