African Fans of European Football

This book examines the increasing influence of European football in African societies, considering the processes and significance of being a fan and what this means for the wider globalisation of popular culture. Focusing on fan cultures in Kenya and Zimbabwe, the book argues that instead of manifestations of neo-colonialism, African fandoms of European football are practised in ways that resonate with and help reconstruct and perform the socio-cultural substance of the African communities in question. European football is therefore instrumentalised to help define the identities of the members of the fandom communities and articulate their experience of their reality in their immediate circumstances. This book reflects how the global and local can coalesce in cultural trends such as football fandom. It will interest sports, leisure, popular culture, and social anthropology researchers in Africa and beyond.