Identity Politics of Football Supporters in the Era of Globalization and Commodification

Abstract

This thesis is focused on the identity politics of FC Twente supporters in the Netherlands. The thesis shows the impact football clubs can have on negotiations of identity and citizenship. It shows that the club is deeply embedded in its region, Twente . The identity politics of the supporters are therefore closely related to being a Tukker an inhabitant of the region. This has created a unique structure of supporters associations, each rooted in its own village or city. Speaking of supporters as if they have one identity is therefore impossible. Furthermore, the thesis is focused on the insecure period the supporters went through in the first half of 2016. The insecurity was due to the threat of the club s professional license to be withdrawn by the national football association. In this period, several initiatives were brought to life that showed strong grammars of encompassing all FC Twente supporters and othering towards the rest of the Netherlands.