Football Nation - (Spektrum: Publications of the German Studies Association) by Rebeccah Dawson & Bastian Heinsohn & Oliver Knabe & Alan McDougall

About the Book

Germany's football culture has a historically rich background full of transnational entanglements, German identity formation, and fan cultures. Football Nation constructs new insights surrounding the multifaceted landscapes of German historical and contemporary football debates as it investigates football's role in discourses on culture, history, and politics.

Book Synopsis

Over the past century, the impact of football on Germany has been manifold, influencing the arts, political debates, and even contributing to the construction of cultural memories and national narratives. Football Nation analyses the game's fluid role in shaping and reflecting German society, and spans its focus on modern German history, from the Wilhelmine era to the early 21st century. Expounding on topics of gender, class, fandom, spectatorship, antisemitism, nationalism, and internationalism, a diverse group of interdisciplinary scholars offer a novel approach to understanding the many influences of football throughout its extensive history which until recently has only been available to a German-speaking readership.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating and enjoyable read, Football Nation offers a significant contribution to existing work which examines the place of football in German society using a series of case studies which expertly investigate sociocultural factors influencing German football." - Rory Magrath, Solent University

"Football Nation is an interesting volume that examines football in Germany from numerous angles and through multiple disciplinary lenses. Many of the opinions expressed in it will elicit intense debate, but it is of a high scholarly standard and will undoubtedly prove a valuable addition to what is already a fairly dense canon" - Darren O'Byrne, University of Cambridge

About the Author

Rebeccah Dawson is Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Kentucky (USA). Currently, she serves as co-editor for a Colloquia Germanica special issue on football in German literature and film and the editor of H: Sport--German Journal Watch.