A Qualitative Study of Racism Amongst Swedish Football Supporters.

Abstract

Over the last decades, it is possible to recognize how global mobility and migration has created diverse and multi-ethnic societies. In the Swedish football scene this can be seen in the existing diversity amongst the professional football players and amongst the supporters where varied ethnicities and backgrounds are represented. In many societies the impact of global mobility and migration has created challenges like social exclusion and racism. Sweden is no exception. This thesis takes place in the local context of Swedish football supporters. It is a study on how acts of racism are understood through the eyes of the supporters. As the supporter environment in Sweden is acknowledged by its members to be an arena where unity and fellowship is highly valued, the idea of this thesis developed through the curiosity on how acts of racism can be understood in the context of this multi-ethnic unity. In this thesis, the meaning of a unity will be examined as a tool for comprehending how supporters understand acts of racism occurring within it. The main material is gathered through qualitative interviews conducted with five supporters. The theory of the Other, developed by Edward W. Said and the theory of imagined communities, developed by Benedict Anderson, will be utilized besides theories of racism.