I have used this titled because no debate I am aware of has negotiated the issue of the Elgin Marbles from this point of view. While Greece was never part of the British Empire Lord Elgin’s behaviour was that of a person believing in imperialist ideology. With this debate I am opening a debate on the influence of Imperialism on the contemporary dominant ideology as a disguised ‘cosmopolitanism’.

The repatriation of cultural goods to the countries of their origin could harm the cosmopolitan spirit of globalisation, in a time when the interest for non-English speaking countries is low. But in a globalised era the poles of culture should be many and the repatriation of cultural goods can help the non-English speaking countries in this race.

The argument supporting the repatriation of certain important only cultural symbols, like the Parthenon Marbles, stands on the middle of the road. The public opinion could support the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles but not the whole of the Greek collection of the British Museum.

The very fact that the Marbles are in a British museum is itself of historical interest. It tells people now what this country's policies have been in the past, specifically about the obsession with ancient cultures, such as the Greeks and Egyptians.