I am very interested in this disagreement about cultural objects being removed from the context in which they were created. On the one hand, I agree with Robert that (and I paraphrase from memory) nationalism is frequently artificial and destructive. I also know from my own experience how much understanding can be gained between cultures through transported artifacts. Everything that I know about Egypt or Assyria, Renaissance Italy, or for that matter pre-contact America, I learned in museums with appropriated artifacts. I also assume that people in Turkey learn about America through transported culture, admittedly in much more portable media such as television and music. On the other hand, almost everyone seems to recognize that pillaging of tombs, wholesale buying of artifacts from Native Americans, selling of "cultural patrimony" (what a loaded term that is), is problematic at best and thuggery at worst. The long and the short of it for me seems to be: I'm glad that so much "cultural patrimony" was looted over the past two hundred years by Europeans and European Americans. And I'm shocked, simply shocked, that such a thing could still be going on! Hmmm, doesn't seem all that consistent to me. ;^) Eric Siegel [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]