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A Critical Analysis of Britain’s Living, Dead and Zombie Multiculturalism: From 7/7 to the London 2012 Olympic Games

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  • Chris Allen

    (Institute of Applied Social Studies, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

Abstract

A day after the London 2012 Bid Committee succeeded in bringing the Olympic Games to Britain using the slogan “the world in one city”, a series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks occurred across London (7/7). In one day, Britain’s somewhat beleaguered multiculturalism went from prompting national celebrations to being decried as “dead” by politicians and commentators alike. Against a backdrop of the Committee’s success in July 2005 through to the end of the Games themselves in August 2012, this article analyses the social and political discourses and debates that ensued in relation to Britain’s multiculturalism. Exploring the metamorphosis of these discourses—using the analogous language of being alive, dead and zombie—this article reflects on the impact and legacy of the London Games on future understandings of multiculturalism. In doing so, this article argues that the everyday lived variety of multiculturalism will always be distinct and different from the political discourses appropriated—or rejected—by political actors.

Suggested Citation

  • Chris Allen, 2014. "A Critical Analysis of Britain’s Living, Dead and Zombie Multiculturalism: From 7/7 to the London 2012 Olympic Games," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:4:y:2014:i:1:p:18-33:d:43956
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew Pilkington, 2008. "From Institutional Racism to Community Cohesion: The Changing Nature of Racial Discourse in Britain," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 13(3), pages 78-90, May.
    2. Aaron Winter, 2013. "Race, Multiculturalism and the ‘Progressive’ Politics of London 2012: Passing the ‘Boyle Test’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 18(2), pages 137-143, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chris Allen, 2018. "Cameron, Conservatives and a Christian Britain: A Critical Exploration of Political Discourses about Religion in the Contemporary United Kingdom," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, January.

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