Abstract:
Catalonia is one of 17 autonomous regions of Spain which has pursued
independence from Spain for several decades. Over the years, Madrid responded by
blocking legality of independence movement through various means of political power,
including arresting and jailing activists, depriving Catalans of cultural rights during
Franco’s rule over Spain, and refusing to grant Catalans a wider political autonomy.
Many in Catalonia seem to have responded to this pressure by reaffirming their national
identity through their Barcelona-based football team FC Barcelona. Being the namesake
representation of Catalonia’s political and cultural capital Barcelona, the club has become
the leading instrument of Catalans’ political expression within the context of the
Catalonian-Castilian conflict. Football in Spain as a whole, and specifically within the
context of Madrid-Barcelona relationship, serves as an alternative platform where the
conflict manifests itself in unconventional ways when it is suppressed on the political arena. There is, therefore, an inverse relationship between political processes involving
Spain and its region of Catalonia, and sports. Fusion of political, national and social
identity in sports serves as an enabler and a potential booster of mobilization in
Catalonian politics. Sacred values, of which Catalan football represented by Barça is one,
are the primary drivers in the process.
This thesis examines the relationship between Barça fandom and the Catalan
secessionist movement. The key findings are based on the results of the quantitative study
of a sample of Catalan football fans conducted in September 2017 which explored the
feelings and emotions of the fans in relation to the football rivalry, socio-cultural
symbolism in Catalonia and politics of violence.
