Bush House Cultures

Our research has explored the material, architectural and historical dimensions of Bush House as a global media centre of power and influence with distinctive sets of colonial and post colonial relationships to different countries and regions of the world. We have analysed how diverse linguistic, diasporic and professional cultures meet and intersect in this zone of contact and conflict. We have done so via a series of case studies which illuminate the creative working lives of BBC World Service staff. We have worked closely with Hugh Saxby (BBCWS Governance and Public Affairs) and Robert Seatter (BBC History) to document the largely invisible (to the British pubic and outside world) working lives of diasporic broadcasters and the cosmopolitan culture that have contributed to the BBCWS’ reputation as a the globally respected broadcaster. This unique international organisation has served as a kind of cultural laboratory where issues of culture and diversity, diaspora and diplomacy, development, and intercultural dialogue can be studied with analytical precision.

Theme convenor

Prof Marie Gillespie, The Open University, m.gillespie@open.ac.uk