: there’s a particularly interesting article in the current issue of the New Statesman on cultural censorship in our museums. the writer is Tiffany Jenkins of University of Kent, Canterbury – a researcher of human remains in museum collections (does Eileen know her?). I can try and get hold of the full text if I can for anyone privately. I won’t post up the complete thing anywhere, however. for example, Australian male totems in Newcastle Museum are barred to female eyes; at the BM, 11 wooden tablets of high significance to Ethiopian Christians so tightly controlled that not even the BM director is allowed to see them. the ethics policy of the UK Museums Association is discussed in relation to possible restrictions on the free pursuit of intellectual enquiry. it appears to be the spreading of an infection beginning with difficulties in the USA with native peoples in America. trying to summarise the argument further won’t do justice to the article. _ I’ve posted a similar message on the TTFF yahoo email discussion group; many have my email, PM me if you don’t. I’ll try and sort it out when back at the end of the month, apols for the delay in advance._________________
