Localism

Localism usually describes social measures or trends which emphasise or value local and small scale phenomena. This is in contrast to large, all-encompassing frameworks for action or belief.

Localism can therefore be contrasted with Globalisation, although the two are best seen as complementary rather than opposing. Localism can be geographical, but often it is not.

Examples of localism are

• The Slow food movement, using diverse, seasonal, natural food in reaction to multinational merchandizing of food which is uniform, produced using industrial methods and called fast food.
• Local radio broadcasting, which is useful to small local communities rather than the national or international community.
• Tertiary government where small community councils make relevant decisions, independently to some degree of local or national government.
• Workers councils, where the employees of a particular workplace discuss and negotiate with their employer, rather have this done by a national union which may be remote from the local issues .
• Post modernism can be seen as a sort of cultural localism, where accepted cultural values may be ignored in favour of people creating their own criteria of value.
• Federalism and devolution are examples of politically localistic movements.