Home Institution
Davidson College
Publication Date
Spring 2022
Abstract
When you go to a football match one of the first things that you will undoubtedly notice are the ultras. Their loud coordinated chants and movement fill the stadium with energy that would not be there otherwise, and their tifo and flairs add an artist’s touch to the stands. There are ultras for just about every club, and every city in the world, with each group having their own unique identity. The local standing of football clubs, paired with the devoted and organized structure of ultras has seen them become political and military actors across the world. Ultras based in former Yugoslav and Soviet states have gained a reputation for showing Nazi and Fascist symbolism at games, which is especially fascinating when one considers that many of these ultras do so for clubs with communist related names and badges. In this paper I will explore the history of ultras and football former Yugoslav and Soviet states, and to offer a theory for why they came to hold these harmful and fringe ideologies.
Disciplines
Civic and Community Engagement | European Languages and Societies | International and Intercultural Communication | Politics and Social Change | Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies | Sports Studies
Recommended Citation
Pelletier, Alex, "How Ultra Firms in Former Soviet and Yugoslav States Became Political Actors" (2022). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3445.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3445
Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Commons, Sports Studies Commons
Program Name
Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy