Theorising racism in football

This project involves theorising the various manifestations of racism and racialisation in professional football. Implementing frameworks related to Critical Race Theory, this project engages with ideas around colour-blindness, post-racialism and racial neoliberalism as manifest in professional football cultures. This project seeks to trouble and explain dominant interpretations around the perceived eradication of racism from sport, and highlights instead its continuing content and effects. Initiatives, strategies and policies pertaining to anti-racism and multiculturalism are also analysed.

Project timeframe

Project began in mid-2000s and continues at present.

Project aims

This ongoing project aims are to:

  • theorise the various manifestations of racism and racialisation in professional football
  • analyse models of sporting anti-racism and multiculturalism

Project findings and impact

This project is ongoing; output, findings and impact will be updated in due course.

Research team

Dr Daniel Burdsey

Output

Burdsey, D. (2007) British Asians and Football: Culture, Identity, Exclusion Abingdon: Routledge.

Burdsey, D. (2008) ‘Contested conceptions of identity, community and multiculturalism in the staging of alternative sport events: a case study of the Amsterdam World Cup football tournament’, Leisure Studies, 27, 3: 259-77.

Burdsey, D. (2009) ‘Forgotten fields? Centralizing the experiences of minority ethnic men’s football clubs in England’, Soccer and Society, 10, 6: 704-21.

Burdsey, D. (2011) ‘Applying a CRT lens to sport in the UK: the case of professional football’ in Hylton, K., Pilkington, A., Warmington, P. & Housee, S. (eds.) Atlantic Crossings: International Dialogues on Critical Race Theory Birmingham: C-SAP.

Burdsey, D. (2011) ‘British Asians and the cultural politics of anti-racist campaigning in English football’ in Alleyne, M. (ed.) Anti-racism and Multiculturalism: Studies in International CommunicationNew Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

Burdsey, D. (ed.) (2011) Race, Ethnicity and Football: Persisting Debates and Emergent Issues Abingdon: Routledge.

Burdsey, D. & Randhawa, K. (2012) ‘How can professional football clubs create welcoming and inclusive stadia for British Asian fans?’, Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 4, 1: 105-11.

Burdsey, D. (2014) ‘One week in October: Luis Suárez, John Terry and the turn to racial neoliberalism in English men’s professional football’, Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 21, 5: 429-447.

Partners