Football Fandom and Identity in the 21st Century

This book uncovers the elusive phenomenon of football fan identities by using a combination of comparative analysis and triangulation of data obtained through discourse analysis of online message boards and survey research in four European country/league contexts and in-depth interviews conducted in eight select fan scenes. The book illustrates that politically relevant developments are often set in motion in supposedly peripheral social fields, and that identities are adapted and transboundary linkages can be established and nurtured through the game of football. The book will be of interest to researchers, scholars and students of Sociology, Political Science, Sport Studies, European Studies and International Relations. Arne Niemann is Professor of International Politics at the Department of Political Science, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. Alexander Brand is Professor of Political Science/International Relations at Rhine-Waal University in Kleve, Germany. Regina Weber is Researcher at the German Centre for Rail Traffic Research and Adjunct Lecturer at the Faculty of Society and Economics at Rhine-Waal University in Kleve, Germany. The three authors thank Florian Koch, Senior Lecturer at the Centre Interlangues (TIL), Université de Bourgogne (uB), for his contribution to the data collection.