Club Culture Research Articles

‘It felt very underground’: Uncovering the characteristics and meanings of the underground within Liverpool’s club culture scenes

This article examines the concept of the term underground and its association with a range of dance music parties and venues that emerged in Liverpool, UK between 2008 and 2023. Drawing on a critical review of literature relating to the term, underground is positioned as a cultural signifier exhibiting three core characteristics: (1) as secretive resistance; (2) as a countercultural antithesis to mainstream; and (3) as a social imaginary. Using ethnographic material from scene practitioner interviews (n = 35) and an online survey of clubbers (n = 194), the article analyses discourses towards the underground as a concept, and how underground characteristics influence scene cultural practices. The findings reveal participants’ use of the term as a descriptor of experiential feelings within temporal spaces. Drawing on the work of Gopaldas, these feelings as situated as sentiments which inform the shared intentions and practices within a local dance music scene.

Inside the football factory: young players’ reflections on being ‘released’

ABSTRACT Every year, most young football players experience deselection and for some, this has profound consequences including drug addiction and death. Yet little is known about these young hopefuls whose careers are abruptly cut short and who are released into a world they are ill prepared for. This study brings a social psychological lens to examine how social identity processes underpin these consequences. Our research sheds light on the formation of a footballer identity in young players; one that is exclusive and excluding, that devalues alternative identities, and that cuts young players off from alternative sources of self-worth and support. The first author, a deselected player with professional football experience, conducted semi-structured interviews with eight males (M = 26.63, SD = 4.66), who had been deselected at an early age. Through reflexive thematic analysis we identified three themes that spoke to (a) the centrality of football identities and how this was fostered by clubs to the detriment of players; (b) the experience of deselection as ‘exiting the bubble’ and the mixed emotions of pain, relief, and bewilderment; and (c) the enduring importance and complex understanding of the footballer identity as something that continues to shape who they are. Our analysis implicates players, their parents, clubs, and wider society in the development of a footballer identity, which leaves young men vulnerable to life-long health consequences. Our findings contribute to calls for deeper consideration and action around football club culture, and clubs’ responsibility for player welfare, including when players are released.

Literary events of a women's Club: the Lyceum Club of Florence

The International Lyceum Club is a women’s cultural club active in Florence since 1908, where women meet to enrich and enhance their culture and to follow the many events of artistic, literary, musical and scientific interest organized by the Club. This study traces, in particular, some of the major events organized by the Literature section between the years 1912 to 1970. The Literature Section presented to Club members the works and thoughts of writers and poets, novels, poetry collections, children’s books, and staged plays on the Club stage. Evidence of each event is preserved in the archival papers kept in the Lyceum Club’s headquarters.

Conversations and confusions: ethnic and racial identity exploration in a high school asian culture club

ABSTRACT This study investigates the identity exploration of Asian American students in an Asian Culture Club (ACC) at a predominantly white high school in Atlanta, Georgia. While past work focuses on similar ethnic student clubs, this study uniquely documents the processes of identity and community construction. Using participant observations and in-depth interviews, I show that student members of ACC explore and co-construct a panethnic Asian identity while downplaying ethnic boundaries. ACC serves as a community and connect student members to the broader Asian American community in the city and beyond. As the club later transitions into Asian Student Union, the students’ shared panethnic attachment and co-constructed community will now serve as the ground for future panethnic solidarity. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Surviving a Tennis Club: Case for Generation MZ

PURPOSE This study aimed to present the measures necessary to perform well in tennis clubs by examining the adaptation process of the MZ generation participating in tennis clubs. METHODS A qualitative case study was performed and data was collected through in-depth interviews, direct observations, and literature surveys. The data were analyzed by applying pattern matching among the analysis methods proposed by Yin (2014), and the reliability and validity of the study were demonstrated by consultations between colleagues, reviewing members, and comparing and analyzing previous studies. The study participants were seven MZ generation tennis club participants selected through snowball sampling (one of the non-probability samples). RESULTS Achieving a level of skill that allows for compatibility and the effort required for it, the acceptance of differences in club culture and between generations, having the etiquette necessary for Generation MZ, and falling for the charm of tennis itself were identified as factors for successful participation in tennis clubs. CONCLUSIONS This study is expected to help the MZ generation, who have recently been interested in tennis, continue their participation, as well as lay a small foundation for the expansion of the base of the sport by detailing the measures necessary to successfully participate in tennis clubs.

The City Is the Club Is the City

Blurring the lines between inside and outside, civic and social, The City Is the Club Is the City is a spectrogram film that asks, “What if the club and the city were the same?” This piece was originally conceived of and created as a part of Tradewinds, an exhibition approaching DC’s go-go music club culture from dual angles of photography and soundscape. Rooted in collaborative research, the exhibition is the culmination of the Nexus Residency wherein photographer Larry Cook and ethnomusicologist Allie Martin worked in tandem to meld their practices, presenting a unified body of new works. Drawing on soundscape recordings created at the iconic corner of 7th Street and Florida Avenue NW, the film features a series of sonic vignettes that blur the lines between inside and outside, between varied publics. Utilizing traffic, club noise, go-go music, bird sounds, and other sonic elements, these vignettes bring background noise to the fore, creating the feeling of being suspended in a doorway where the club is the city, and the city is the club. As each vignette is built from multiple layers of sound, this accompanying essay peels back some of these layers, thinking through what sounds like the city and what sounds like the club, and the benefits to listening to both of these imagined spaces as if they were one. As Washington, DC, continues to gentrify, listening intersectionally in this way is imperative to understanding the intricacies of Black sound in the city.

Data Mining-driven Multiple Regression Analysis of Cultural Identity in International Students’ Perceptions of Chinese Culture

A multiple regression fitting analysis was conducted to investigate the level of cultural identification of 222 international students studying in China with respect to Chinese culture. The dependent variables are the Chinese Culture Integration Will (CCIW) and the Chinese Culture Integration Degree (CCID). A number of independent variables are taken into account, including gender, age, and religion. A cost-benefit approach is employed, with management convergence (MC) on the cost side, and the intention to work in China (IWC) on the benefit side. Based on data mining and regression model fitting, we use the software program of SPSS to compute the KMO of the questionnaire data, make factor analysis, and then utilize the econometrics software package to make stepwise ordinary least squares estimation. The results indicate that active involvement in school cultural clubs, as well as aspirations for employment within China, significantly influence students’ willingness to comprehend Chinese culture. In contrast, personal characteristics such as gender, age, and nationality appear to have a negligible impact. In order to significantly strengthen students’ cultural identities, they need to become proficient in Chinese language, interact more frequently with Chinese peers, participate in cultural activities at school, and develop effective assimilation strategies. The desire to work in China does not significantly contribute to the integration of cultures. It should be noted that the quality of instruction in courses related to Chinese culture as well as participation in extracurricular activities off-campus do not significantly enhance the level of cultural identification among students. By analyzing big data on international students in China, it is possible to gain insight into international student education and Sino-foreign exchanges.

Understanding the social significance of a sports club for university students in South Korea

ABSTRACT Aiming to explore the meaning and value of the space of a sports club for university students in South Korea, this study employs the idea of spatial culture by Henri Lefebvre. The foundation of the cultural experience of a sports club is the cultural experience of a specific space; therefore, this paper takes the concern of spatial culture as the theoretical starting point. The research method is participant observation, and the researchers explored a sports club culture in South Korea for 4 months. The topics discussed in this study, such as, the boundaryless atmosphere within the sports club which provides the possibility for students to seek empathy; the sports club provides an obvious boundary with daily life which allows students to build another identity for resisting dissatisfaction with life; and last, it also provides the possibility of learning for students in a changing and diverse campus environment.

Dragging the Archive

This is Club Des Femmes’s messyfesto, in which we propose that learning about radicalism and resistance can happen not through academia but rather through collective experience of watching films together in the dual contextualization of a cinema and a conversation. Club Des Femmes is a queer feminist film curation collective that has been programming at independent venues across London (and beyond) since 2007. Our messyfesto draws primarily on our activities, in person and online, since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020. It is a polyphonic and eclectic record of the events we curated in that period, from our webzine Culture Club, through the 2020 online weekender Between Us We Have Everything We Need, and then our return to cinemas for live events at the Rio Cinema in London. First, the epic summer 2021 Lesbian Camp: Yes It’s F**cking Political weekender, and most recently, the 2022 screening of Leontine Sagan’s Mädchen in Uniform (1932).

Risk and Protective Factors for Bullying in Sport: A Scoping Review

AbstractThe aim of the current study was to examine risk and protective factors related to bullying in sport. Adopting the methodological approach outlined by Arksey and O’Malley (International Journal of Social Research Methodology 8(1):19–32, 2005), 37 articles met the inclusion criteria. A consistent definition of bullying could not be identified in the publications examined, and several articles (n = 8) did not explicitly define bullying. The most frequent risk factor identified was an individual’s social background (n = 9). Negative influence of coaches (n = 5), level of competition (n = 5), lack of supportive club culture (n = 5) and issues in locker rooms (n = 4) were among the most commonly cited risk factors for bullying in sport settings. Preventative policies were cited as the most common method to reduce the incidence of bullying (n = 13). Contextually tailored intervention programmes (n = 5) were also noted as a key protective factor, particularly for marginalised groups, including athletes with disabilities or members of the LGBTQ+ community. The need for sport-specific bullying prevention education was highlighted by 10 of the articles reviewed. In summary, the current review accentuates the range of risk and protective factors associated with sport participation. Furthermore, the need for educational training programmes to support coaches in addressing and preventing bullying within sport settings is emphasised.

Yanan Through Papered Propaganda: Establishing a Cultural Hub in the Early 1940s

In the early 1940s, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) strategically employed Yanan-centric propaganda to forge a narrative deeply rooted in the loess plateau, laying the foundation for subsequent cultural movements. After the arrival of the cohort of CCP forces in Yanan, the reduction in their numbers prioritized their mission to recruit talent and bolster their forces to compensate for the losses. With the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, Yan'an gained recognition and external support as the capital of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. However, it encountered challenges associated with growing reliance, particularly after the New Fourth Army Incident in 1941. As a result, the CCP shifted towards self-reliance, instituting policies aimed at reducing land and interest rates. Simultaneously, cultural clubs were organized to foster a "free" environment for intellectuals, promoting the coexistence of farmers, troops, and intellectuals to boost local morale. Rather than categorizing the CCPs decision to host the Yanan Conference on Literature and Art as mere coincidence or deliberate planning, this article redirects focus toward understanding the cultural ambiance that prevailed in the city leading up to the conference. Through an exploration of the factors contributing to Yanans emergence as a crucible of cultural activities, this paper seeks to unravel the intricate dynamics shaping its cultural landscape.

How a leader in the footsteps of Atatürk enlightened the lives of thousands of children

Learning outcomes The key learning from this case study include the following: first, there are various leadership types that leaders can exhibit, such as servant leadership and transformational leadership, and an individual’s leadership style can be evaluated by analysing his/her traits and behaviours. Second, decision-making is much more critical for leaders than for anyone else, and there are different approaches, such as rational and intuitive decision-making, that leaders can apply when making a decision. Third, in male-dominated work environments such as the sports sector, female executives should carefully weigh the risks and opportunities of leadership positions while being promoted. Case overview/synopsis The UPS Sports and Culture Club was founded in 2003 by Haluk Ündeğer in Zeytinburnu district, one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Istanbul that had a bad reputation for being high on crime and drugs. The club’s main goal was to train children from disadvantaged groups to develop a career in sports. Shortly after the club’s founding, Semra Demirer, a physical education teacher who had devoted her life to children’s physical, cultural and personal development, crossed paths with the UPS Club. In 2004, Demirer started to work at the UPS Sports and Culture Club as the general coordinator. She played an important role in the growth and development of many children over the years and helped raise very talented athletes such as Simge Aköz. In 2020, on the heels of financial and administrative difficulties, the club was at the risk of being shut down. Hence, Demirer grappled with the decision of whether to share this information with the employees and players in the club. She deeply considered how she could overcome the conflict between transparency and confidentiality she was experiencing. Complexity academic level The case study is suitable for undergraduate students. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

Development and psychometric properties of the supporting mental health in sport instrument

Mental health conditions are a significant global health concern. To address this concern, sport settings are increasingly being viewed as environments in which to support individual mental health and wellbeing. Not all sports settings are, however, conducive to supporting mental health. Efforts to improve mental health in sport settings are likely to be less effective if the club culture, policy, and environment do not promote behaviors known to support mental health. Understanding the extent to which sport clubs offer environments conducive to mental health and wellbeing is important for mental health initiatives targeting sport clubs. Currently and to our knowledge, there is no known instrument that captures member/participant perceptions of how supportive the sport setting is regarding mental health and wellbeing. This study explored the content validity, internal construct validity and external construct validity of the Supporting Mental Health in Sport Instrument (SMHSI) intended to measure the extent to which sport clubs provided a supportive environment for mental health promotion. A process of reliability analysis, principal component analysis and Rasch analysis was conducted confirming the psychometric fit of the items to the overall construct. The instrument could distinguish between two sport club environments providing different levels of mental health support, demonstrating external construct validity. The instrument can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the sport club context to support mental health, to identify suitable club targets for mental health programs, to better determine training needs, or to better understand the impact of mental health programs on wider club contexts. Lay summary: Mental health promotion in sport clubs is becoming increasingly popular. The effectiveness of these promotion efforts may be compromised by the contexts in which they are delivered. This paper describes the properties of the Supporting Mental Health in Sport Instrument designed to measure the contextual support for the promotion of mental health in sport clubs.

"Style that leaves nothing to be desired": Whanganui's Ladies Club of 1897

In 1897, a new, purpose-built institution made national headlines when it opened in the colony's fifth-largest centre. The Wanganui Ladies' Club was marketed as the first and only club of its kind, and was based on a Gentlemen's Club model catering to the upper classes of town and country. Designed by local architect William Pinches, a public tea room allowed non-members access to part of the building and much was made of its points of difference. In the immediate wake of women's suffrage being granted, proprietor Harriet Cameron was riding the crest of a wave of local women leading new, public-oriented lives. Described as artistic and luxurious, the interior was perhaps the most lavishly decorated in town. Photographs of it were widely published and the Ladies' Club seemed poised to become a fashionable social and political hub of the district. Yet within five years the club had dissolved, and the building would be lost only twenty-five years later. Its demolition reflected a wider shift in values and aesthetics, and the declining influence of the British-modelled established gentry over the region's cultural life.
 This paper will visit the interior of the lost Ladies' Club through sharing recent research on the building. It will examine a few contemporary local 1890s interiors which have survived, and look at high society club culture which has survived in the town against the odds.

Japanese youth athletes’ mental health and psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to analyze Japanese youth athletes’ mental health and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the potential correlations between their demographic factors and mental health outcomes. Methods: Participants were recruited from a single high school with a student population encompassing national-level competitors (NCs), local-level competitors (LCs), and general students (i.e., others; OTs), aiming to reduce the impact of differences in environmental conditions affecting pandemic-related stress. In March 2021, the students completed an anonymous online survey comprising questions on demographics and COVID-19, as well as the following scales: Kessler 6 (K6), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Resilience Scale. Differences and correlations among these groups’ scores were analyzed while controlling for covariates. Results: Of 1,022 students (51.3% girls), 22.3% were NCs, 38.6% were LCs, and 39.0% were OTs. NCs reported significantly lower scores on the K6, PHQ-9, and GAD-7, as well as significantly higher resilience scores, compared with LCs and OTs. Resilience scores had a significantly negative correlation with the K6, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 scores. Female gender, participation in cultural clubs, and indoor sports were factors associated with scores above the cut-off on each scale. COVID-19 testing, history of illness, and family history were not associated with any of the psychological evaluation measures. Conclusion: Based on responses to the self-reported questionnaires, NCs appear to have better mental health than their peers, while resilience has a potential association with improved mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Imagining Chaucer’s Male Audience

ABSTRACT This article seeks to reconcile the characterizations of Chaucer’s voice and implied male audience encapsulated in Derek Pearsall’s “London club culture” and Carissa Harris’s “felawe masculinity.” I propose that these labels serve as complementary descriptors whose points of intersection reveal Chaucer as a poet for whom educating men about gender and masculinity mattered greatly.

Frejdiga fruntimmer

This article tells us about the ladies association Concordia, founded in Uppsala in 1919. Concordia is a kind of cultural club , were a so called salon culture (“salongskultur”) is performed. The Concordian tradition is discussed as well as aspects of class, gender and generation. Concordia can be inepreted as a kind of microcosm that reveals class and gender systems in Sweden over the last hundred years.

Ad hoc Screen Translation in Soviet Estonian Film Clubs

In Soviet Estonian official cinemas, foreign films were always dubbed into Russian with Estonian subtitles. Founded at the end of the Thaw, film clubs and other semi-official screening locations became popular as part of the alternative scene and unauthorised discourse. They screened uncensored original Western European and Hollywood films and thus the works of forbidden film directors and cinema movements from the West were introduced to a limited audience of film enthusiasts. Compared to other Soviet Socialist Republics, Estonia was in a privileged geographical and linguistic position to be able to access the films of the West via Finland. Film clubs looked beyond the Iron Curtain and opened up a cultural dialogue between the West and Soviet Estonia. This article analyses the repertoire of foreign films and different translation modes, social relations and the agency of the interpreters, and it looks at their interpretative act from theoretical perspectives discussed by Juri Lotman and Naoki Sakai. Lay Summary: In the era of Soviet Estonia, where foreign films were typically re-edited and dubbed into Russian, film clubs emerged as underground screening locations that offered uncensored original Western European and Hollywood films. These clubs played a crucial role in introducing the works of forbidden film directors and cinematic movements from the West to a limited audience of film enthusiasts. Soviet Estonia stood out in three significant aspects: 1) it was the only SSR to subtitle all films in the official cinema into Estonian; 2) it had a vibrant film club culture in universities with diverse repertoires from Finland, and all films had a live translation into Estonian, 3) and it had access to Finnish television broadcasting Western movies that were otherwise not shown in the Soviet Union (Estonian and Finnish are closely related languages that share many semantic and grammatical structures). Compared to other Soviet Socialist Republics, Estonia had the advantage of its geographical and linguistic position, facilitating a socio-cultural dialogue with the West. The various translation methods employed, often conducted on an ad hoc basis, social dynamics, and the role of interpreters in the film clubs, played a transformative role in dismantling the barriers of the Iron Curtain. Interpreters, by navigating the boundaries between the original films and their translations, significantly influenced the understanding of Western cinema and culture in Soviet Estonia.

“Me Time”: Motherhood, Reading, and Myths of Leisure

ABSTRACT In this micro article, the authors survey the media landscape, including bestseller lists and celebrity book club culture, think pieces and mommy blogs, to examine the discourse around “me time,” reading, and motherhood. The article explores how the cultivation of “me time,” which is ostensibly about taking time away from mothering, returns mothers to the work of self-improvement, disguised as self-care. The books that mothers are reading (judged by their posts online, book awards, bestseller lists, book club culture, etc.) and the ways they are blogging about “me time” reading suggests that under the conditions of twenty-first-century neoliberalism, reading mothers must use this time to meditate upon and improve their mothering. “Me time” reading is framed as a separation from maternal labor but instead impels mothers to justify their solitary habit and redeem reading as a contribution to—rather than detraction from—family life.

‘Just Another Outing in a Boat’: Findings from the Evaluation of the Mixed Ability Sport Development Programme

Article 30 (5a) of the UNCRPD states that participation in mainstream sport should be a right for all individuals. However, many disabled people still face barriers to participation, and provision remains segregated and/or determined, at least in part, by the nature and degree of impairment. This paper explores the Mixed Ability (MA) model as an innovative approach to facilitating disabled people’s participation in, and engagement with, mainstream sport. It outlines findings from an evaluation of the Sport England-funded Mixed Ability Sport Development Programme, which saw the MA model trialed in a variety of sports. A participatory research design was employed to generate data with key stakeholder groups involved in the design and delivery of programme activities, as well as with MA participants. Analysis of the data identified three core themes: (i) defining MA sport; (ii) the impacts of MA sport; and (iii) challenges and enablers of MA sport. In discussing these, it is argued that the MA model can be a powerful approach to inclusion and help to shape meaningful change. Indeed, the data suggest that the impacts of MA activities can extend beyond the individual level and influence shifts in both sports club culture and wider perceptions around disability. The paper closes by considering the implications of the research and outlines recommendations for future practice in this area.