ALEXI KAYE CAMPBELL responds to Jonathan Jones’s article on the British Museum director’s claim that the marbles’ removal from Greece in the 19th century could be seen as ‘a creative act’. Plus letters from PIERRE MAKHLOUF and JOHN AK HUNTLEY As a member of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles who recently argued (and happily won) against Jonathan Jones at the UCL debate which he mentions in his recent article (Let’s not lose our marbles over the British Museum boss’s remarks, 29 January), I presumptuously assume I am included in his description of “the passionate proponents of Greece’s claim”. He goes on to say that people such as myself “need to explain how their argument differs from any other variety of nationalist populism”. I thought I had done just that at UCL, but I shall do so again in case he missed my point. On that evening, I had made the distinction between patriotism and nationalism, and had alluded to how I believe nationalism is what happens when patriotism is thwarted or humiliated. I had said that as a relatively new modern state, albeit with an extraordinary ancient heritage, Greece’s need to forge its contemporary identity after hundreds of years of occupation, cultural evisceration and adversity, often has to look to its glorious ancient history and achievements for confidence and pride. So there is some symbolism in its wish to see the marbles reunited with the monument from which they had been taken when Greece was under Ottoman occupation, there is little doubt of that. Continue reading...
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