Sectarian Fact Or Fiction? Examing Scottish National Idenity
SECTARIAN FACT OR FICTION? EXAMING SCOTTISH NATIONAL IDENITY THROUGH GLASGOW’S OLD FIRM A THESIS Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History The Colorado College In Partial Fulfillment for the Degree Bachelor of Arts By Ryan Huettel May 2016 2 On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid Ryan Huettel 3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction…4 2. The Roots of the Old Firm…12 3. The Offensive Behaviours Act and its Critics…33 4. Modern Glasgow and the Problems of Football Sectarianism…37 5. Hegemonic Fandom in Scotland, 45 6. Parliament and the Demonization of the Working Class, 51 7. Football and the Media, 55 8. Football Sectarianism and the Clubs, 62 9. Reconciling These Problems, 70 10. Conclusion, 75 11. Bibliography, 78 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Jamal Ratchford and Professor Bryant ‘Tip’ Ragan for their help on this thesis. In addition, I would like to thank the Colorado College Ritt Kellogg Venture Grant for funding my initial research in Glasgow. 4 Introduction Unlike the professional teams of the United States, many European football clubs have a backstory in politics, religion, regional identity or some other distinguishing non- sporting characteristic. The appeal of football has been all encompassing for the past century in Europe, as dictators, economic sets, religious factions, and social groups all have their own teams, intertwining the backstories of football clubs in the overall respective histories of their countries. Scottish football is one the premier examples of sport transcending the stadiums built to contain it. Traditionally the workingman’s game in the country, its modern influence in the world emanates from Glasgow, the third largest city in the United Kingdom.
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