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Impact of 2012 under the spotlight at UEL public seminar – Friday 14 March

Thursday 6 March 2008

The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP will lead the debate on the economic and social impact of the London 2012 Olympics Games at a major public seminar organised by the University of East London (UEL) and the Academy of Social Sciences at the British Library on Friday 14 March.

Social Science Perspectives on the 2012 London Olympic Games will examine a wide range of interlinked issues, including international tourism, urban regeneration, cultural diversity, competition between cities, and the symbolic meanings of sport.

Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, will deliver the seminar’s keynote speech on ‘The Significance of the 2012 Olympics for London’.

Dr Iain MacRury, Director of UEL’s London East Research Institute, will explore the competing conceptions of the 2012 Games as both 'gift' and 'commodity', arguing how government policy can best address aspirations connected to Olympic legacy, improved social and cultural engagement, and the sustainable regeneration of east London.  

Other key speakers include John Urry, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University and an expert on the connections between the Olympic Games, city status, and contemporary tourism, and Maurice Roche, Reader in Sociology at Sheffield University, whose latest book, ‘Mega-Events and Modernity’, offers in-depth analysis of the impact of major sporting and cultural events on popular culture and cultural policy.

The seminar will be chaired by Michael Rustin, Professor of Sociology at the University of East London and co-editor of the recently published London’s Turning: the Making of Thames Gateway.

Social Science Perspectives on the 2012 London Olympic Games will take place at the British Library in Euston Rd, NW1, on Friday 14 March from 4:30 – 7:00pm. Tickets are now available at a cost of £10, including refreshments. Registration is essential. For full details, visit www.acss.org.uk or call 020 7330 0897.

For details and pictures contact Daniel Cherry: 020 8223 2194

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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