Football and the self-determination process in Catalonia (2012-2021): finding gaps in the literature

Abstract

The article will present the literature gaps in Political Anthropology and its relation with sport, particularly football, focusing on the Catalan secessionist process in Spain. In the self-determination process that is going on in Catalonia since 2012 - especially in independence campaigns by pro-and anti-independence organizations before the 2017 referendum - football and football fans are constant elements of the movement. In particular, the two key football clubs of Catalonia found themselves in the center of the movement, FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol. The article is interested in analyzing the degree of politicization of football, looking at the performance of these clubs in the self-determination movement. It aims at finding out the theoretical areas that lack current research in the following aspects: the politicization of football, sports identity, and emotions and political voting. This article will contribute to the understanding whether there is indeed a connection between being a football fan and having particular perceptions of supporting or not supporting a self-determination claim. Understanding that the politicization process is not necessarily unique to classical political institutions and processes, we can also track how current political discourse evolves in other settings.