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Synopsis
This book examines how groups of young male fans come to be defined and identified as football 'hooligans, and challenges the assumption that violence is wholly central to the match-day experience for these supporters. Rather, the creation of identity is at the root of hooliganism, with all the cultural values and rituals, codes of honour and shame, and communal patterns of behaviour and consumption that accompany it. The author locates hooliganism historically within the milieu of an industrial working class culture, and examines ideas of performance and ritual encompassed in idealized masculinity. The book is based on a decades in-depth study of the 'Blades, a group of football fans supporting Sheffield United, who are notorious for their hooliganism. It contributes to the debate on football hooliganism by challenging many traditionally-held notions of hooliganism and by providing the first anthropological study of football violence. The book also debunks the myth that violence between football fans is organized by 'generals operating within hierarchically structured groups.

Falsehoods such as this, it is argued, are advanced to augment the powers of the police and media in redefining and controlling particular groups of individuals whose behaviour does not fit easily within increasingly constrictive codes of social conduct. This book represents essential reading not only for undergraduates of social anthropology, sociology and criminology but also for the general reader with an interest in football culture.

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3 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   15 of 15 people found the following review helpful: Outstanding Popular Anthropology, 29 April 1999 By A Customer This outstanding ethnographic study of one particular group of football hooligans--the "Blades" who follow Sheffield United--challenges and dismisses many of the popular conceptions about hooliganism. Based on the author's 15 or so years of following Sheffield United and hanging out with those he is examining, the book is a fairly academic one, brimming with sociology jargon and theory (none of it too distracting or demanding for the lay reader). A few key themes emerge: (1) The Blades are not organized in any way, they are a self-selected amorphous group with members coming and going of their own accord, and being involved at a self-decided level (ranging from "core" to "peripheral." (2) There are no leaders who organize Blade hooligan activity. Buses to away games may be organized, and some "Top Lads" may yell suggestions in the heat of a situation, but no one bears--or wants--a leadership mantle. (3) There is no element of racism, about 10% of the Blades are black. Blades involved with the National Front or British National Party are peripherals who are derided for their views. (4) The media generally get the facts all wrong (either from laziness or police misinformation) or intentionally distort the facts about hooligan incidents, oftentimes mislabeling non-football related episodes as hooligan events. Also, the police are generally effective in limiting hooligan on hooligan violence, but often wrongfully arrest Blades and manufacture charges. This is hardly surprising, but the frequency outlined in the study is somewhat disconcerting. (5) The level of violence as measured by actual punches, injuries (minor and major) is exceedingly minimal and is self-restrained by various unspoken "rules" and "norms" within the ritual of behavior. Most all violence occurs away from the match, either before or after or en route, and is never targeted at non-hooligans. This is a key theme, and an important one, considering the popular perception of what hooligan violence involves. The overall impression that emerges is that the effects of hooliganism are totally overhyped by media, police, and public for their own aims. The caveat is that this study was limited to one group in one city. One suspects that a similarly rigorous and long-running study of, say, Chelsea, or West Ham, would find a much more disturbing set of lads and incidents. For participant accounts, see "Capital Punishment: London's Violent Football Following" by Dougie and Eddy Brimson and for an excellent work of fiction see "The Football Factory" by John King.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: a brilliant balance of street eye view and academic analysis, 29 Oct 2000 By  jgjora@aol.com (Germany) - See all my reviews Armstrong's book cuts through alot of the rubbish and myth making that surrounds lads who like a confrontation on a Saturday afternoon. The basic premise of the book is correct, and I speak from experience, namely group confrontations are less to do with the thrill of violence and more to do with definfing individual identity through group belonging. Like mods and punks and scallies before them, football crews are about fashion, pose and attitude.They're about being 'ok' or 'alright' in the eyes of your peers and nothing more or less. Armstrong understands this and explores it brilliantly.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   8 of 9 people found the following review helpful: at last - an academic book about hooliganism worth reading, 21 Mar 2000 By A Customer I'm not a big fan of sociologists and their like. Most are so committed to providing data for whatever theory they support that reality seems of little relevance to them. Plus outsiders often have little understanding of what's going on anyway. But Gary Armstrong is born and bred Sheffield and was obviously accepted as someone who wasn't out of place ariound Sheffield United's BBC mob. If he had written this book with the popular market in mind and had left out all references to academic concerns,it would be up there with Hoolifan and the like. Even with the academic framework, it is still a great read and gives as good an insight into a northern firm as you're likely to find.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 3 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews