Social agency and football fandom : the cultural pedagogies of the Western Sydney ultras

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17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article addresses key questions of social agency and cultural pedagogy within the neoliberal structures of 'modern football' in the Australian context. It reports on a two-year ethnographic study of the Red and Black Bloc, an Australian ultras group in Western Sydney, one of the most culturally diverse areas in Australia. The origins of the Western Sydney ultras are described, along with their struggles to build their own cultural identity and to fight for social agency within a commodified football league. By combining a multifaceted theoretical model with a range of ethnographic data" including document analysis and in-depth interviews" this study reveals the processes by which the Western Sydney ultras enhance members' social cohesion towards an increased social consciousness. The paper acknowledges the role that ultras, as authentic cultural formations, may have in the propagation of new cultural pedagogies that have the potential to enhance citizenship, communal life and participatory democracy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)946-959
Number of pages14
JournalSport in Society
Volume21
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Australia
  • Centre for Western Sydney
  • New South Wales
  • Ultras (fans group)
  • Western Sydney (N.S.W.)
  • culture
  • democracy
  • football fans
  • urban living

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