[ecrea] “Football, Politics and Popular Culture”: 2017 Annual Conference of The Football Collective

*“Football, Politics and Popular Culture”: 2017 Annual Conference of The 
Football Collective *

'The Football Collective' is a dedicated International network of over 
200 academics and practitioners across a range of disciplines 
(Sociology, Business Management, Economics and Finance, Political 
Science, Gender Studies, History, Social Media and Fan Studies, 
Corporate Governance, Musicology etc). Through sharp analysis and 
research it has provided a platform for thought provoking critical 
debate in football studies.

Football has always been political. For example, on 13th May 1990, just 
weeks after parties favouring Croatian independence had won the majority 
of votes in an election, a riot between the fans of Dinamo Zagreb and 
Red Star Belgrade marked a game in the Maksimir Stadium. Zvonimir Boban, 
the Zagreb captain and future AC Milan star kicked a police officer who 
had allegedly been mistreating Croatian fans. Some argue that this 
moment marked the end of Yugoslavia, with a devastating Civil War 
following soon afterwards and many of the protagonists on that day 
swapping the terraces for the front lines.

The bodies of clubs, players and fans are enmeshed with politics. Clubs 
have been born as a result of population upheavals and migration; have 
been associated with ethno-national and religious communities, and 
political ideologies and parties to name but a few. In the contemporary 
context, football continues to be tied to political events and symbols. 
The ongoing movement of people into Europe has witnessed voices raised 
by football supporters both in support of and opposition to migration. 
Racism and anti-racism practices play out on and off the pitch. Broader 
contemporary international political controversies such as the 
prohibition of the flag of the Palestinian State, the wearing of symbols 
such as the British poppy or the commemoration of Irish Independence 
continue to spark controversy among player and fan communities alike.

Football also manifests at times in artefacts of music and broader 
popular culture. Football chants for example are a sophisticated 
socio-political activity, which connect to early forms of communication 
where humans used music, chant, and dance to bond as social groups. 
‘Performance’ also has a unique ability to make difference visible and 
audible, and songs in particular have been shown to have powerful agency 
in the negotiation of ‘Self’ and ‘Other’.

We invite you to join us at the University of Limerick, on Thursday and 
Friday 23rd – 24th November 2017 for the Annual Conference of The 
Football Collective which is organized in association with the Popular 
Music and Popular Culture Research Cluster @UL. “Football, Politics and 
Popular Culture” will bring together interdisciplinary football 
researchers, academics and students to share research findings, 
interests, stories, and methods, in order to develop better research and 
collaboration across the Collective. We will also host guests from 
outside of the academy. In this conference, we therefore particularly 
welcome papers that address (but are not limited to) football and the 
following:

• Migration
• Racism
• Islamophobia/anti-Muslim racism
• Ethno-national formation
• Conflict (Ethno-national, Ideological, Sectarian etc.)
• Sectarianism
• Identities
• Class politics
• Gender and Sexualities
• Fan culture
• Political songs / chants
• Its representation in popular culture (including film and literature)

The conference is designed to offer opportunities for all to present 
research, research ideas, potential projects, and innovative methods of 
data collection or public engagement. Thus it aims to discuss research 
that (a) has been undertaken, to share findings and gain insight and 
feedback on data analysis, representation, and potential outputs (b) is 
being proposed as a potential option for the Collective group to 
understand an existing issue or (c) has been published, to share 
findings and discuss future research needs. Please submit a Word 
document containing your paper title, a 250 word abstract, and author 
information including full name, institutional affiliation, email 
address, and a 50-word bio to (footballconference2017 /at/ ul.ie) by 6th 
September 2017. A maximum of 20 minutes will be allocated to each 
conference paper. Panel proposals (three presenters - 60 minutes) should 
include a 150 word overview and 250 word individual abstracts (plus 
author information listed above). We also welcome proposals for 
workshops, film screenings, performances etc. We particularly encourage 
submissions from PhD scholars and early career researchers. 
Notifications regarding acceptance will be sent by 15th September 2017.

Conference Conveners:
Dr. James Carr, Dept. of Sociology, University of Limerick.
Dr. Martin Power, Dept. of Sociology, University of Limerick.
Dr Stephen Millar, Popular Music & Popular Culture Research Cluster, 
University of Limerick.

For further information please contact: (footballconference2017 /at/ ul.ie)

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