Traditional knowledge as intellectual property subject matter: perspectives from history, anthropology, and diverse economies

In this chapter we present and seek to justify two sets of questions and arguments: What can an approach informed by interdisciplinary perspectives including from anthropology contribute to the debate on whether protecting traditional knowledge (TK) as intellectual property is appropriate or can be effective? Is the emerging concept of diverse economies helpful in developing pragmatic approaches towards legal protection that are flexible enough to accommodate the broad range of economic, cultural, and socio-legal conditions prevailing in different "traditional" societies?