Fair to Swear?

Abstract

“Fair to Swear? Gendered Formulations of Fairness in Football in Turkey”, focuses on the swearing voiced in football chants in Turkey. Based on a sociological linguistic approach, it demonstrates that fans construct a specifically masculine notion of fairness that diverges from what the Turkish football authorities define as the ideal of ‘fair play.’ Nuhrat argues that the anti-swearing campaigns and policies of multiple organizations (including the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), the clubs and mainstream media) ostensibly intend to uphold fair play, yet they miss and are at odds with how fans construe fairness: Fans genderize the meaning of the concept fair play by celebrating the masculine ideal of the crazy, hot-blooded young man (delikanli). In keeping with theoretic formulations regarding “ordinary ethics” in cultural anthropology, the chapter elucidates how fairness and gender are co-negotiated in football in Turkey. In addition, it critiques the stereotypical feminine role that the TFF ascribes to women fans, defining them as naturally polite guardians of the imposed sense of fair play. The chapter shows that women fans have an intricate relationship with hegemonic masculinity whereby they simultaneously take part in the specific masculine construction of fairness and oppose normative gender expectations.