There are a number of grand narratives within which the Olympics might be evaluated, each of which inscribes the project in a very different value nexus. Perhaps the dominant paradigm on the Left is that of globalisation. The Olympics, and sports in general, are read as symptomatic of larger economic forces at work in the society, of which globalisation is paramount . … [Read more...] about Globalisation And Its Discontents, After 2012
January Blog
New Year Graphologies : I grew up with comics, but when I became a teenager I put them away as one does childish things. It was not until I met my second wife and began travelling regularly to Paris and Brussels to accompany her on trips to visit members of her family, that I had occasion to revisit a genre which in the meantime had grown up into a sophisticated art form. I … [Read more...] about January Blog
Born to Flying Glass
In this talk, given to a number of conferences and seminars in Germany, Sweden and the UK in 2005/6 I discuss a number of theoretical and methodological issues related to a research project on early childhood memories of civilian bombing in World War Two. View the text here: Born To Flying Glass … [Read more...] about Born to Flying Glass
Where East Meets West: Gary’s Olympic Game
The transcript that follows is from an interview with Gary Carpenter then aged 18, who describes the people he met and incidents that happened while he was working with his dad as a riggers assistant. I first met the Carpenters during a health and safety induction session at the Carpenters Road site and subsequently conducted interviews with each of them separately and one with … [Read more...] about Where East Meets West: Gary’s Olympic Game
December Blog
A Xmas story about two films. Recently I visited an exhibition of work by Humphrey Jennings, whose book, Pandaemonium, was a key inspiration for Danny Boyle’s Isle of Wonder’s Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. Jennings was an interesting blend of Romantic Marxist and surrealist, who played a leading role in the British film documentary movement in the 1930’s … [Read more...] about December Blog