At 21:46 26/04/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Sorry, but this IS an issue of general professional concern and importance,
>and is, therefore, highly appropriate for this list to discuss OPENLY. The
>fact that the heading is seen as a cause of concern suggests just how
>sensitive an issue nudity is for U.S. audiences. I must strongly disagree,
>however, with the suggestion that we discuss such sensitive issues offlist,
>that defeats the purpose of having a list; or use euphemisms - that would be
>silly and compound the problems associated with exhibits that might offend
>certain elements of our communities.

I couldn't agree more - and these issues are ones often discussed by museums
in (perhaps) more liberal societies (-such as South Africa -:) ). Surely
this list is the very place to discuss issues around the display of
sensitive material! I have been enjoying these discussions.

> It is interesting that the nudity of the subjects is seen as a concern,
>rather than that an exhibit about human beings is in a museum that largely
>deals with geology and animal life. I know there are historical reasons for
>the delineation between natural history museums and history museums and the
>assignment of non-white peoples largely to the former rather than the
>latter, but is the continuation of this practice ethically neutral?
>
Here I also agree - this last is an issue which was widely discussed at the
South African Museums Association conference last week. Discussion also
focussed on the need to delineate ethnology/anthropology collections and
cultural history collections. The suggestion was that they are all history
collections - terminology which the National Cultural History has used for a
number of years.

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