The chapters in this volume explore the major cultural markers by which an ethnic community defines its cultural identity and cultural affiliation. These markers can differ when perceived as coming from, within, or from outside of, a group and can be re-defined according to inner (or outer) circumstances. Their importance can increase when a community feels endangered in their cultural existence or diminish, when perceived cultural identity of a group and its members is not questioned. This collective monograph thus not only applies the term "cultural security" exclusively to state- or institution-implemented processes, but also considers the indigenous, bottom-up, and inside-out mechanisms of establishing and maintaining communal cultural security of an ethnic group. The dynamics shaping cultural security are illustrated on examples of ethnic communities in the People's Republic of China and in Mongolia.