Scotland: sectarianism as racism in football? The cut and thrust of an ongoing debate

<h4><b><u>[Book Chapter] </u></b><b><u>Scotland: s</u></b><b><u>ectarianism as racism in football? The cut and thrust of an ongoing debate</u></b></h4><h4>Alan Bairner and Stuart Whigham deal with the issue of sectarianism in Scottish football in this chapter. There, the term “sectarianism” describes the continuous ethnic, political and religious tensions and conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. They show that the history of Scottish football has been punctuated by regular episodes of verbal abuse and not infrequent outbursts of violence, primarily, but not exclusively, associated with the rivalry between Glasgow’s two biggest clubs, Celtic and Rangers. These events have traditionally been characterised as sectarian and as evidence of persistent religious bigotry. More recently, however, the debate has moved on with some researchers preferring to use the word racism to describe the anti-Irishness directed at Celtic Football Club and its followers with others contending that the word racism is inappropriate in this particular context. Meanwhile, legislators and Police Scotland have sought ways to tackle the problem regardless of what terminology is used. This chapter engages with the fundamental question whether sectarianism in Scottish football is a form of anti-Irish racism and examines the arguments put forward by either side of this debate.<br><br><b><u>[Is a part of] </u></b><b><u>Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia in European Football</u></b></h4><h4>This book examines the prevalence of racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and Islamophobia in European football. It provides critical assessments of selected policies, strategies, campaigns, and initiatives that have been developed by various stakeholders aimed at combating these discriminatory practices.</h4><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Bringing together leading football researchers, this book opens with a discussion of the historical context for racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and Islamophobia in European football and outlines the key terms and core concepts that frame the study of this topic. The book then offers ten in-depth case studies of European countries, including England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Sweden. Each chapter describes and analyses the various manifestations of racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and/or Islamophobia against the specific socio-historical, demographic, political, and cultural contexts of the country before engaging with the responses of selected stakeholders. The case studies are followed by a critical account of supra-national responses, including the involvement of UEFA, the European Union, the Council of Europe, and Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE). The book is rounded off by a cross-cultural, comparative analysis drawing out the key themes that define the problem of racism and discrimination in European football today.</p><p dir="ltr">The most up-to-date study of one of football’s most disconcerting and enduring issues, this book is fascinating reading for any student, researcher, policymaker, or practitioner with interest in the sociology of sport, football and its fan cultures, issues of inclusion and exclusion in modern societies, European football, and the relationships between sport and wider society</p>