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Abstract
In the study of sports and society, there has often been an excessive focus placed on the roots (i.e. origins) of collective identity. Drawing on Appadurai's [Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press] concept of ‘imagined worlds,’ this paper explores five global cultural flows and their influences on the diverse identities of Celtic Football Club supporters. While the historical ‘roots’ of these socially constructed identity attachments are important to understand, this article suggests that the ‘routes,’ or where these identities are being performed, maintained, and renegotiated on an everyday bases, provide a more complete understanding of collective identities in today's globalized world. Ultimately, this article highlights the reasons why people from around the world support a football team from Glasgow, Scotland by clearly demonstrating that the motivations that go into their decision are not as simple as one might initially imagine and are relentlessly renegotiated across both time and space.
Flujos culturales globales y de las rutas de identidad: los mundos imaginados de Celtic FC
En el estudio de los deportes y de la sociedad, ha habido a menudo un enfoque excesivo puesto en las raíces (es decir, en los orígenes) de la identidad colectiva. Basado en el concepto de ‘mundos imaginados’ de Appadurai (Citation1996), este trabajo explora cinco flujos culturales globales y sus influencias en las diversas identidades de seguidores del Celtic Football Club. Mientras que es importante entender las ‘raíces’ históricas de estos apegos de identidad construidos socialmente, este artículo sugiere que las ‘rutas,’ o donde se desarrollan estas identidades, mantenidas y renegociadas diariamente, proporcionan una mejor comprensión de las identidades colectivas en el mundo globalizado de hoy. En última instancia, este artículo pone de relieve las razones por las cuales la gente de todo el mundo apoya a un equipo de fútbol de Glasgow, Escocia, demostrando claramente que las motivaciones que intervienen en su decisión no son tan simples como un principio cabría imaginar y son implacablemente renegociadas a través del tiempo y del espacio.
Les courants culturels globaux et les voies de l'identité: les mondes imaginés du Club de Foot du Celtic
Dans l'étude des sports et de la société, il y a souvent eu une focalisation excessive sur les racines (c'est-à-dire les origines) de l'identité collective. En s'inspirant du concept des « mondes imaginés » d'Appadurai (Citation1996), cet article explore cinq courants culturels globaux et leurs influences sur les différentes identités des supporters du Club de Foot du Celtic. Il est important de comprendre les racines historiques de ces attachements identitaires de construction sociale, mais cet article suggère que les voies, c'est-à-dire là où ces identités se jouent, se maintiennent et se renégocient quotidiennement, permettent bien mieux de comprendre ces identités collectives dans notre monde globalisé actuel. Enfin, cet article souligne les raisons pour lesquelles des gens du monde entier supportent une équipe de football de Glasgow en Ecosse en démontrant clairement que les motivations qui dictent leur décision ne sont pas aussi simples que l'on pourrait initialement l'imaginer et qu'elles sont sans cesse renégociées à travers le temps et l'espace.
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank all of the Celtic supporters who participated in this research (YNWA). He also likes to thank Jonathan Leib, Joshua Inwood, Derek Alderman, and the four anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions on several drafts of this manuscript.
Notes
1. For an alternative discussion about the social identities of Rangers Supporters, see Giulianotti (Citation2007).
2. Ethical approval was granted from the Institutional Review Board at Old Dominion University before the questionnaire and the online interview were distributed. Due to the personal and private nature of several of the questions in the questionnaire/interview, and the sensitive nature of certain aspects of the topic in general, all participants had the ability to refuse to answer any question that they felt uncomfortable with and were able to terminate the questionnaire/interview at any time they wished. Consequently, each and every interviewee will remain anonymous when quoted in this manuscript; referenced by their city's name (i.e. Dublin supporter, Brisbane supporter, etc.).
3. Including players out on loan.
4. Premier League (England): Arsenal (20), Manchester United (16), Liverpool (15), Chelsea (14) Manchester City (12), Tottenham (12); La Liga (Spain): Malaga (10), Real Madrid (9), FC Barcelona (8), Atletico Madrid (8), Valencia (8) Real Sociedad (6); Bundesliga (Germany): Schalke 04 (15), Bayern Munich (13), Bayern Leverkusen (10), Borussia Dortmund (7); Serie A (Italy): AC Milan (18), Fiorentina (18); Internazionale (15), Juventus (14), Napoli (14); Ligue 1 (France): Marseille (13), Paris Saint-Germain (11), Lyon (11), St. Etienne (9)
5.ThePlayers Lounge in Dublin is owned by Irish-born Celtic FC striker Anthony Stokes and currently serves as the home of two Dublin CSC's.
6. See Adams and Ghose (Citation2003) and Adams and Skop (Citation2008) for discussions about ‘bridgespace’ in relation to the interconnectedness of Appadurai's ‘scapes.’.