Introduction

The Olympic Park has been  defined in many different ways :as a ‘lieu de memoire’ for Olympophiles, a  vision of the future city,   a local public amenity for East Enders, a global  visitor destination, a major  venue  for sports enthusiasts, and  the location of a series of residential neighbourhood eventually housing over 20,000 people. How can these different functions be  combined, if at all? … Read the rest

I recently took some pictures on a visit to the Olympic Park which is now being transformed for post Olympic purposes.  Below is a gallery of the site.  More information about the construction of the site can be found here:  http://constructionandthegames.com… Read the rest

The following course outline is designed to provide some resources for  use with undergraduate students  who have a  basic  knowledge of   concepts in sociology and cultural studies. The main topics  for discussion in each session are indicated , linked to some key  readings. The student is  referred to  one or more sections of the online ‘reading map’ for further resources. Suggestions for film or image study, including the  relevant sections of the online galleries are also given.… Read the rest

A list of some of the key players in the London Summer Olympics can be found here:  Key Players… Read the rest

This select reading list contains books that I have found especially interesting, useful or thought provoking in writing this one. It is organised according to the main themes dealt with in the text in the order in which I read the books. So it comprises a personal reading history which I hope will be helpful to others. Starred items are ‘must reads’

Read the full text here: Map Readings… Read the rest

Legacyspeak is an extreme case of what linguists call nominalisation in which actions are turned into objects and verbal processes are turned into abstract nouns. At its simplest this involves the deletion of concrete human agency and its replacement by abstract entities which become the chief protagonists of the storyline. So instead of a transactive model of causality involving a) an actor b) a process of modal action described by a verb, located in a specific time and place, and c) a consequential effect,  we have an account dominated by purely impersonal and often literally non verb-alisable processes of agency and accountability.… Read the rest

A guide to useful post-Olympic Expressions is compiled here:  Useful Post-Olympic Expressions.… Read the rest

As London 2012 draws to a close the questions of Legacy and how to measure the Games’ impact emerge as present tense issues. In this week’s Friday essay Phil Cohen challenges the starting point of these discussions: the assumption that the population who use and will come to use the space all share the same vision as the narrowly selected development committee.… Read the rest

London 2012 provided a key insight into the shifting relationships between global, national and local as residents with no material stake in the Games came together to participate in their success. How might the power of this already-existing ‘commons’ pave the way for an alternative legacy?

Read the article on the openDemocracy ezine:  Beyond Carnival Capitalism… Read the rest