The Social, Cultural, and Political Dimensions of Violence in Argentinian Football: An Ethnographic Account by Eugenio Paradiso M.A. (Anthropology), Dalhousie University, 2010 H.B.A., University of Toronto, 2007 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Eugenio Paradiso 2021 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2021 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Declaration of Committee Name: Eugenio Paradiso Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Thesis title: The Social, Cultural, and Political Dimensions of Violence in Argentinian Football: An Ethnographic Account Committee: Chair: Barbara Mitchell Professor, Sociology and Gerontology Noel Dyck Senior Supervisor Professor, Anthropology Travers Supervisor Professor, Sociology Peter Hall Supervisor Professor, Urban Studies Paul Kingsbury Internal Examiner Professor, Department of Geography Roger Magazine External Examiner Professor, Department of Social and Political Sciences Universidad Iberoamericana ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract My dissertation examines the interplay between football, politics, violence, and morality in Argentina by considering the role of club officials, politicians, and fans, among other actors, in the spread and perpetuation of corruption and violence within and beyond football clubs. Employing a grounded, inductive, and interpretive approach to fieldwork research, I analyze – through observations, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis – the degree to which certain practices related to different understandings of violence and corruption have become naturalized within the context of Argentinian football and, by extension, in Argentinian society as a whole. I begin by exploring the degree to which Hecho Club Social, a non-governmental organization that promotes social integration and personal change through street football among socially vulnerable populations (e.g. homeless people and addicts), challenges the deeply rooted association between passion and violence in football by providing a space where participants support each other through camaraderie. I then analyze different understandings and manifestations of passion in football by comparing the Argentinian case with my observations of crowd behaviour at Toronto Football Club’s games. This comparison reveals that, in Argentina, rival fans are often identified as enemies. Responding to a concern within political anthropology with the role of clientelism, I also examine the relationships between club officials, politicians, and organized groups of violent fans, known as barras bravas. These relationships shed light on the nature of Argentina’s culture of impunity while highlighting the difficulties in developing solutions aimed at eradicating violence from football stadiums. Furthermore, I argue that the political and economic interests of the actors involved in informal agreements within football clubs perpetuate the conditions that allow barras bravas to thrive. Taking into account the circumstances that inform the behaviour of the actors that make up the world of Argentinian football, I consider the degree to which social and cultural change is an attainable goal given the country’s moral and legal landscape. Keywords: Argentinian football; corruption; violence; clientelism; passion; morality iv Dedication To my parents and my sister v Acknowledgements I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Noel Dyck for his invaluable advice and guidance throughout the process that led to this dissertation. He guided me with wisdom while giving me the freedom to pursue the topics that most interest me. His patience and support during difficult times encouraged me to carry on when the task seemed impossible. I am grateful to Dr. Travers and Dr. Peter Hall for having taken the time to provide incisive feedback at different stages of my project. This dissertation has greatly benefitted from their input and observations. I would also like to thank Dr. Roger Magazine and Dr. Paul Kingsbury for having agreed to join my Examining Committee. I thank Dr. Barbara Mitchell for chairing my defence. I am immensely grateful to all the research participants who took time off their busy schedules to meet with me. This dissertation would not have been possible without their insightful, thoughtful, and informative contributions. I want to thank Sergio in particular for having welcomed me to Hecho Club Social with open arms. His enthusiasm and dedication are inspirational. I am also grateful to the office staff at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for the administrative support I have received over the years. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and my sister for their patience, encouragement, and unconditional support. vi Table of Contents Declaration of Committee .................................................................................................. ii Ethics Statement ...............................................................................................................iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ......................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................vii List of Figures................................................................................................................... ix List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................. xi Glossary ...........................................................................................................................xii Chapter 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 1.1. Methodological approaches and considerations ..................................................... 7 1.2. On subjectivities and the validity of research findings ........................................... 11 1.3. Access to participants ........................................................................................... 17 1.4. Methods ................................................................................................................ 25 1.5. Kind of like a journalist .......................................................................................... 26 1.6. Research questions and chapter outlines ............................................................. 29 Chapter 2. Hecho Club Social ................................................................................. 32 2.1. Background ........................................................................................................... 33 2.2. Football (and politics) for All .................................................................................. 40 2.3. Football as a tool for social inclusion and personal change .................................. 42 2.4. On passion: The exaltation of insanity .................................................................. 47 2.5. Experiences with barras: an interlude ................................................................... 57 Chapter 3. Violence .................................................................................................. 64 3.1. The “River Experience” ......................................................................................... 64 3.2. Obtaining the tickets .............................................................................................. 67 3.3. Outside the stadium .............................................................................................. 69 3.4. A night at the Monumental .................................................................................... 72 3.5. Violence and aggression ....................................................................................... 74 3.6. Definitions ............................................................................................................. 75 3.7. Civilization and barbarism: On race and class ...................................................... 77 3.8. Chants ................................................................................................................... 81 3.9. A grounded and emic approach to interpreting fan behaviour at football stadiums .............................................................................................................................. 91 3.10. Cognitive dissonance and role play ...................................................................... 94 3.11. Words can kill: The case of Emanuel Balbo ........................................................ 106 3.12. Spectators ........................................................................................................... 109 3.13. Supporters ........................................................................................................... 110 3.14. Fans ...................................................................................................................