A Study of the Relationship between Media, Commercial Markets and Children's Play in the UK between 1950 and 2011
Funded by the British Academy (2011–2012), this project explored the influence of media and the market on children's play. Jackie Marsh and Julia Bishop from the School of Education, University of Sheffield, analysed the responses to the Opie surveys submitted by children at two schools, in Sheffield and London. They also traced some of the original contributors and conducted oral history interviews with them, as well as others who attended the schools during the 1950s and 1960s. The project helped to pilot methods of tracing the original contributors to the Opie collection, including through the use of social networking sites.
Publications
Jackie Marsh. 2011. British Academy Project Final Report: A Study of the Relationship between Media, Commercial Markets and Children's Play in the UK between 1950 and 2011. View as PDF
Jackie Marsh and Julia Bishop. 2012. Changing Play: Play, Media and Commercial Culture from the 1950s to the Present Day (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2014) – Runner up, Katharine Briggs Folklore Award, 2014.