In detailing the development of working practices at the BBC World Service, research has revealed the evolutionary and generational power of diasporic sensibilities in shaping attitudes and life in Bush House. This finding has been reflected in the establishment of Generation 2012, an ongoing collaboration between Tuning In and the BBC World Service in which young Londoners explore their own cultural and diasporic identity through the prism of international broadcasting and media training in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games.
Now into its second year, Generation 2012, has visited the London Olympic site and undertaken intensive training with the World Service at Bush House and the BBC College of Journalism. The parallel exploration of diasporic identity, transnational media production and the cosmopolitan diversity of the coming Olympics (including issues of cultural legacy), has proven a rich source of both academic and personal reflection. Such has been the success of this project that four members of Generation 2012 regularly report for the BBC World Service daily current affairs programme Outlook on how the Olympics are changing the lives of people living in its shadow.
Research aims
- To explore the notions of cosmopolitan identity, place and belonging among London’s diasporic youth in areas affected by the construction of the Olympics
- To provide media training and an understanding of international media practices in order for participants to gain the practical and intellectual skills necessary to report on the dramatic changes taking place in their communities
Research questions
- Do participants have a static sense of home and locality, or have their migratory histories imbued them with a more fluid sensibility towards identity?
- In what ways will the Olympics change London and what longer term impact will this have on the areas in which participants live?
- How instrumental is the international media in communicating notions of transnational and cosmopolitan identity?