The posts regarding camping exhibits brought to mind some interesting
cultural questions which might or might not have been dealt with in
exhibits before:

1. What some call "camping," others have called living.
The most obvious image I can recall is American plains Indians.  Boy
scouts (at least during my brief involvement with them) have taken
American Indians as exemplars in this sort of back-to-nature activity.
There are plenty of cultures worldwide that "camp" or have camped.  Has
any exhibit covered the contextual and cultural gulf between primieval
survival and recreational camping, with attention to the thematic
parallels?  Would this be feasible and worth doing?  What objects to use
-- flint axe vs. Swiss Army knife?

2.  What about a comparative exhibit on political camping?  Scouting has
been overtly military (in addition to Americans' emphasis on civic
themes) with great stress on uniforms, competition, field skills, etc.  I
recall a propaganda film (German, ca. 1930s) called _Hitler Junge Quex_
which superbly displayed the political possibilities of "camping."  Has
or could an exhibit be mounted explaining the multiple meanings of
camping for young people in civil and political contexts?

Just some more ideas to kick around.

Regards,
Doug

........................
Doug Lantry
University of Delaware
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