Fan Activism, Protest and Politics: Ultras in Post-Socialist Croatia (Critical Research in Football)

In what sense can organized football fans be understood as political actors or participants in social movements? How do fan struggles link to wider social and political transformations? And what methodological dilemmas arise when researching fan activism? Fan Activism, Protest and Politics seeks ethnographic answers to these questions in a context - Zagreb, Croatia - shaped by the recent Yugoslav wars, nation-state building, post-socialist 'transition' and EU accession. Through in-depth ethnography following the everyday subcultural practices of a left-wing fan group, NK Zagreb's White Angels, alongside terrace observations and interviews conducted with members of GNK Dinamo's Bad Blue Boys, this book details fans' interactions with the police, club management, state authorities and other fan groups. Themes ranging from politics, socialization, masculinity, sexuality and violence to fan authenticity are examined. In moving between two groups, the book explores methodological issues of wider relevance to researchers using ethnographic methods. This is important reading for students and researchers alike in the fields of football studies, regional studies of the former Yugoslavia and post-socialism, political sociology and social movements, and studies of masculinity, gender and sexuality. A useful resource for scholars writing about social movements and protest, or post-socialist subcultural scenes in south-east Europe, the book is also a fascinating read for policymakers interested in better understanding the contemporary (geo)political situation in the region. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of figures 7 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction: football fandom in the European semi-periphery 10 Introduction 10 White Angels Zagreb and the Bad Blue Boys 13 Professional football in the European semi-periphery 15 From socialist Yugoslavia to the ‘Homeland War’ 17 Studies of football fandom in Croatia 18 The everyday geopolitics of football in post-socialist Croatia 19 Notes 23 Bibliography 23 1 Football fandom and post-socialist transformation in Zagreb, Croatia: a historical sociology 27 Introduction 27 Football and fandom in late socialist Yugoslavia 28 The 1990–1999 war and authoritarian nationalist rule 31 Croatia or Dinamo? 35 The 1999–2008 ‘democratic transition’ and increasing police repression of fans 37 2008–present: economic crisis and a slow conservative revolution 39 Notes 44 Bibliography 46 2 Ethnography: positionality, approach, methods 50 Fieldwork: entry and positioning 50 Critical and activist approaches 53 Researcher positioning 55 Gender and sexuality 56 Citizenship, language skills and cultural knowledge 58 Race and citizenship hierarchies 58 Class 59 Methodological issues 60 Moving between groups 60 Methodological nationalism 64 Illegality and other ethical issues 66 Notes 69 Bibliography 69 3 Everyday fandom in Zagreb 73 Introduction: Zagreb, neighbourhood belonging and class 73 Everyday aspects of group participation 81 Enrolment 81 Meetings 82 Group symbols 83 Fan habitus 84 Place and identification 86 Terrace activities 87 Mythmaking 90 Relations with other groups 91 Surveillance 92 Connections with the punk and skinheads scenes 94 Notes 96 Bibliography 96 4 Police practices and repression 100 Introduction 100 Generalized repressive measures 101 Clientelism and the economy of favours 103 Bureaucratic grey zones 104 Conclusions 108 Notes 108 Bibliography 109 5 Political ideologies and the fan movement 111 Introduction: cross-cutting codes and practices 111 Organised fans as social movement? 112 Organized fans as (sub-)political actors? 115 Political ideology among the White Angels 116 Political ideology among the BBB 118 Far-right symbols and the oppositional patriotic register 121 Notes 123 Bibliography 124 6 Gender, sexuality and violence 126 Introduction 126 Hegemonic masculinity in the Croatian state context 127 Ultras, hooligans and hypermasculinity 129 Masculine motifs in the Croatian fan scene 130 Left-wing and LGBTQ politics as emasculating 133 Sexuality in the White Angels and Bad Blue Boys 136 Violence and surveillance 137 Notes 140 Bibliography 141 7 Banter, urban–rural hierarchies and political correctness 144 Introduction: on the road to Knin 144 Banter 146 Banter and urban–rural distinctions 147 Political correctness and the BBB 151 Political correctness and WAZ 153 Conclusions 155 Notes 155 Bibliography 155 8 Fan authenticity and international networks 158 Introduction 158 Informal fan networks 158 White Angels Zagreb and NGO project activities 159 The impact of refugee flows 161 Fan authenticity in the Croatian ultras scene 162 Critiquing NGO involvement 164 Arguments for NGO project participation 167 Class divisions and hipsters: subcultural contestation 168 Conclusions: sub-cultural authenticity 169 Notes 170 Bibliography 170 Conclusion: the ‘New Europe’ in crisis? 172 Conclusion 172 Methods and knowledge production 174 The ‘New Europe’ in crisis? 175 Bibliography 176 Index 177 In what sense can organized football fans be understood as political actors or participants in social movements? How do fan struggles link to wider social and political transformations? And what methodological dilemmas arise when researching fan activism?__Fan Activism, Protest and Politics__seeks ethnographic answers to these questions in a context - Zagreb, Croatia - shaped by the recent Yugoslav wars, nation-state building, post-socialist 'transition' and EU accession.Through in-depth ethnography following the everyday subcultural practices of a left-wing fan group, NK Zagreb's White Angels, alongside terrace observations and interviews conducted with members of GNK Dinamo's Bad Blue Boys, this book details fans' interactions with the police, club management, state authorities and other fan groups. Themes ranging from politics, socialization, masculinity, sexuality and violence to fan authenticity are examined. In moving between two groups, the book explores methodological issues of wider relevance to researchers using ethnographic methods.This is important reading for students and researchers alike in the fields of football studies, regional studies of the former Yugoslavia and post-socialism, political sociology and social movements, and studies of masculinity, gender and sexuality. A useful resource for scholars writing about social movements and protest, or post-socialist subcultural scenes in south-east Europe, the book is also a fascinating read for policymakers interested in better understanding the contemporary (geo)political situation in the region. Working within the context of Zagreb, Croatia, this book offers an in-depth ethnography detailing fans' interactions with the police, club management, state authorities and other fan groups, and examining themes ranging from politics, socialization, masculinity, sexuality and violence to fan authenticity.