Publisher Description

Major sporting events hosted by Germany have historically been highly charged and culturally significant occasions. 2006 sees the Football World Cup return to Germany, where much has changed since the previous Finals there in 1974. This collection, edited by an internationally regarded sports sociologist and German Studies scholar, examines the history and significance of football in German culture and society. Includes discussion of: The cultural history of football since its popular German origins during WWI The effects of Unification, European integration and immigration in contemporary Germany The German football economy Women in German football and society Germany's role in the politics of global sports institutions Media coverage and perceptions of German identity and Germany's relationship with traditional 'enemies' Media representations of football and changing fan cultures Pyta Wolfram University of Stuttgart, Germany Pfister Gertrud University of Copenhagen, Denmark Merkel Udo University of Brighton, UK Gebauer Gunter Free University, Berlin, Germany Br

Back Cover

This topical book provides unprecedented analysis offootball's placein post-war and post-reunification Germany.The expert team of German and British contributorsofferswide-rangingperspectiveson the significance of football in German sporting and cultural life, showing how it has emerged as a focus for anexpression of German national identity and pride in the post-war era.Some of the themes examined include:- footballing expressions of local, regional and national identity- ethnic dynamics, migrant populations and Europeanization- German football's commercial economy- women's football.Key moments in the history of German football are also explored, such as the victories in 1954, 1972 and 1990, the founding of the Bundesliga, and the winning bid for the 2006 World Cup.

Author Biography

University of Brighton, UK University of Cambridge, UK

Table of Contents

1. German Football: A cultural history 2. Germany Versus Austria: Football, urbanism and national identity 3. A Tale of Two Germanys: Football culture and national identity in the GDR 4. Soccer Hooliganism in the German Democratic Republic 5. Turkish Immigrants in German Amateur Football 6. The Future of Football is Female!? On the past and present of women's football in Germany 7. The Europeanization of German Football 8. German Football: A media-economic survey - The impact of the Kirchmedia company on football and television in Germany 9. A Game of Nations? Football and national identities 10. Fandom and Sub-cultural Media 11. Selling Sex or Dealing with History? German football in literature and film and the quest to normalize the nation 12. Germany 1974: On the eve of the goldrush 13. All around the Globus: A foretaste of the German football imagination c.2006 14. German Football: Theatre, performance, memory - A philosophical epilogue

Review

'German Football...should be required reading for all serious football-as-sociology pundits ahead of this year's World Cup.' - Andrew Baker, telegraph.co.uk, 5 January 2006'This is the perfect summary of German football's strength (and weakness).' - Daily Mail, 8 February 2006
'German Football...should be required reading for all serious football-as-sociology pundits ahead of this year's World Cup.' - Andrew Baker, telegraph.co.uk, 5 Januray 2006

Long Description

"German Football: History, Culture, Society "provides unprecedented analysis and commentary on the place of football in post-war and post-reunification Germany, revealing the motives and drives underlying Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals. The contributors explore the significance of football in German sporting and cultural life, showing how football has emerged as a major focus for the expression of a coherent national identity and as evidence of the restoration of German national pride in the post-World War II period. Major themes include: - German football's desire for success on the International stage - Football expressions of local, regional and national identity - The East European legacy - Ethnic dynamics, migrant populations and Europeanization - German football's commercial economy - Women's football in Germany - Literary and media perceptions of the German game With contributions from a range of disciplinary perspectives, German Football illuminates key cultural moments - the 1954 victory, the founding of the Bundesliga in 1962, the 1972 World Cup victory as hosts, its third World Cup triumph in Italia '90, the winning bid for 2006 - from a variety of angles. This is an innovative, open-minded and critical analysis of football's burgeoning significance in German cultural life, which will be enjoyed by readers of Sport Studies and German Studies alike.

Review Quote

'German Football...should be required reading for all serious football-as-sociology pundits ahead of this year's World Cup.' - Andrew Baker, telegraph.co.uk, 5 Januray 2006

Details