Football Cultures and Identities (Paperback)

The game of football has played a key role in shaping and cementing senses of identity throughout the world. As any seasoned traveller can attest, the quickest entry into most cultures is by talking about football or attending a match. The game is a prism for both witnessing and interacting with identities and cultures. Aware that the game may afford a space for expressing or organising protest and dissent, powerful groups the world over may attempt to harness or suppress the forces of populist identities and nationalisms provided by football. Edited by Britain's leading scholars in the field, this book examines football in eighteen countries to provide an unprecedented breadth of knowledge.