Crossing the Boundaries of the Ethnic Home

Abstract

The focus of this article is on media consumption, as it relates to ethnic identity construction. In an attempt to surpass the domination of the domestic as the singular point of reference and research in media studies, the author turns to the public. On one hand, this choice relates to the conceptualization of media consumption as a cultural process exceeding narrowly perceived media use and being implicated in processes of identity and community construction. On the other, it is an attempt to investigate how ethnic identities, initially constructed in the domestic, are challenged and reaffirmed in the public, in processes of constructing group identities and community belongings. These questions are addressed and studied ethnographically in a case study of the Cypriot Community Centre in north London. For the local Greek Cypriot community, this centre is one of the most important ethnic points of reference - both as a real place and as a symbol of a visible and thriving community. The Cypriot Community Centre is an interesting case study for studying ethnicity being reconfirmed, but also redefined in the coexistence of Greek Cypriots with Turkish Cypriots; it is a space for studying ethnic media consumption becoming a public and a communal experience.