「本土化」是中國學術思潮的兩條主線之一。錢穆「一生為故國招魂」，對中國傳統文化滿懷「溫情與敬意」，不僅是「本土化」思潮的一位代表學者，而且其多維身份認同契合了當代中國學術思潮的不同學術語境，從而折射著「本土化」思潮在改革開放以來這一時段的歷史進程。1980 年代，其文化史家的身份認同即與「文化熱」的語境頗符節拍；1990 年代，其國學大師的身份認同則與「國學熱」的語境產生了時代的共鳴；時至最近10 年，「本土化」與「西方化」漸有匯流的健康趨勢，而錢穆國學大師與教育家的雙重身份認同又與此一趨勢若合符節。因此，錢穆可以被視為近30 年中國「本土化」思潮的一個縮影。

Many Chinese intellectuals highly respected Chinesetraditional culture, and this “localization” has become one of thetwo major developments in Chinese academic. Qian Mu, a scholarwho “devoted his life to searching for Chinese soul and spirit,” wasa leading scholar of “localization.” moreover, his differentacademic backgrounds reflected the historical process of“localization” since “the reform and opening up” period. In the1980s his cultural historian’s background followed the route of“Culture Hot;” in the 1990s, as a master of Sinology, he was in linewith “Sinology Hot.” For the last decade, as the “localization”gradually integrated with “westernization”, Qian Mu’s dualidentity of being a master of Sinology and a great educator at HongKong and Taiwan was still line with the trend. Thus, Qian Mu can be regarded as a miniature of the “localization” process in Chinesethoughts during the last three decades.