Politics, Ideology and Football Fandom

Football fans and football culture represent a unique prism through which to view contemporary society and politics. Based on in-depth empirical research into football in Poland, this book examines how fans develop political identities and how those identities can influence the wider political culture.

Rados-aw Kossakowski is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Scientific Council of Sociology at the University of Gdäsk, Poland, where he is also Director of the Institute of Sociology. Przemys-aw Nosal is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sociology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland. Wojciech Wo-niak is a Sociologist in the Department of Sociology of Social Structure and Social Change at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of -ód-, Poland. He is also Chair of the Sociology of Sport Section in the Polish Sociological Association.

1. Introduction. 2. Football fans and their political engagement in Central and Eastern Europe. 3. Socio-economic and political transformation of Poland since the collapse of communism. 4. Football fandom in Poland in a historical perspective. 5. The pathological 1990s. 6. Polish political elites versus football fandom. 7. Contemporary Polish fandom and its civic, social and political engagement. 8. Ideology on Polish terraces. 9. Polish national team supporters. 10. Fans and politics: towards a typology. Conclusions.