Over the past two centuries we have come to accept the existence of diverse languages, customs, and cultures; in doing so, however, we run the risk of going from one extreme to the other. Sometimes we emphasize foreignness to the point that life-worlds and culture-worlds close up like clams in their shells, sealing themselves into their own meanings and norms; other times we play down foreignness by allowing it to become blurred by an ethos of general humanity, by entrusting it to global regimes, or by offering it as a cultural good in the world market.