Football and Diaspora: A Theoretical Framework

This chapter provides a theoretical framework, outlining how the volume's two key themes – football and diaspora – intersect and connect. The chapter begins by overviewing the scholarship related to diaspora, reviewing various definitions and meanings, and the main theoretical issues related to diaspora. While diasporic people are characterized by extensive geographical dispersal, they also develop strong connections with both national and transnational co-ethnic communities. Football is an important and productive medium that enables diasporic members, including fans and supporters as well as football players, to engage with and perform their ethnic and national identities through their participation in the sport. Thus, the latter part of the chapter presents various examples of local and international football teams in diasporic and transnational settings, examining the ways in which multiple actors in these contexts seek to unite and build solidarity within and across ethnic and national borders. Indeed, diaspora and football not only share commonalities in theory and practice but are inseparable for many displaced and dispersed people who use the global game to express their passion, emotions, and sense of belonging at the local, national, and transnational levels.