Football Fandom, Protest and Democracy offers an in-depth and inside approach to the socio-political history of football in Turkey, where fandom is often revered as part of the national identity, presenting the historical context for football events in the country.

Based on original research, the book explores the complex political processes at play in modern Turkey and deepens our understanding of fandom, fan activism and protest movements, questioning all presuppositions about the society and football fandom in Turkey. In particular, it examines the role of football fans in the pro-democracy Gezi Protests of 2013, the history of football in Turkey, the sociology of middle-classes and the transformation of football in the country.

Interdisciplinary in nature, this book is a valuable resource for scholars and students of sports sociology, popular culture studies, Turkish studies and media studies.

About the Author

Daghan Irak is Lecturer-Researcher at Aix-Marseille University, France teaching Geopolitics, History, Media and Popular Culture. He is also Research Fellow at the MediaLab of Sciences Po Paris, France. He previously worked as a live Commentator for Eurosport TV channel.

Reviews

'Irak's analysis is original and timely, in that it addresses an important topic (the relationship between sport fandom and activism) and analyzes it with the help of an empirical case (Turkey) that has rarely been investigated in scholarship published in English. For this and other reasons, the book is a welcome addition to existing scholarship on sport supporter activism from a comparative perspective.' - Celia Valiente, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Soccer & Society

Book Information
ISBN 9780367249717
Author Daghan Irak
Format Hardback
Page Count 181
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 2120g