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I wonder how long a second nation has to hold onto an item that orginally came from another nation before it becomes more a piece of the second nation's history
by EliRivers 8y ago
I wonder how long a second nation has to hold onto an item that orginally came from another nation before it becomes more a piece of the second nation's history and culture than the first.
Does it never become that? Is it just relative amount of time?
Does it depend on the rationale for the first nation requesting its return i.e. is return of stolen goods different to return of goods legally purchased? Is it different to goods that the first had effectively discarded or thrown away?
- glitchc 8y agoThis is an interesting insight. How about the following test: If the art reflects the culture of the adopted nation, then it belongs there. If not, then no.
- EliRivers 8y agoAnd if it doesn't reflect the culture of either? Does it no longer belong anywhere? I suppose it must be possible for it to belong in a nation whose culture isn't reflected in the art, since many nations have historical art that doesn't reflect their contemporary culture. The idea that millennia old artifacts automatically belongs to a person or group because they live in the kind of area where it was made a thousand years previously just doesn't seem very satisfactory. Maybe it's the word "belong"; historical, meaningful or significant art feels like it shouldn't "belong" to anyone in the same sense of "belong" that I can own a tin of peas. Cave paintings in El Castillo, 40000 years old. The word "belong" really doesn't feel right.
- kevin_b_er 8y agoThen it this case it wouldn't. Old Culture was destroyed by Mao in a deliberate purge and destruction of history. His party still claims to hold to his principals and is the only leadership of that nation. They willfully and forcefully disavowed that culture as not communist enough. Fortunately it has been preserved.