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Being a Yid”

Jewish Identity of Tottenham Hotspur Fans—Analysis and Interpretation

Bibliographic Data

ID12875273
AuthorsBogna Wilczyńska (0000-0002-9552-3714, Jagiellonian University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume18
Issue3
Pages86-105
Publication date2022-07-31
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Sociology Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1733-8077 • E-ISSN: 1733-8077
PublisherUniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.18778/1733-8077.18.3.04
OpenAlexW4289712469
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited11

Tottenham Hotspur football fans are victims of regular antisemitic abuse from opposition fans. They are commonly referred to as “Yids.” Interestingly, Tottenham supporters appropriated the Jewish image and embraced it as part of their fandom identity. They have been using symbols and content associated with Jewish identity, even if their club has never been a Jewish organization, and the vast majority of them are not Jewish. The objective of this paper is to describe and explain the main characteristics of the phenomenon of what I call the “Jewish identity” of the fans. The research presented in this paper was based on sociological and anthropological qualitative methods; above all—in-depth interviews with the fans and participant observation in the stadiums during Tottenham games. The analysis and interpretation of the material collected for the study allowed me to explore the questions of “how,” “why,” and “what” happens in the stadiums (and outside the stadiums) from the perspective of the fans in the context of their “Jewish identity.” I particularly focus on the mechanism Tottenham supporters use to manage and fight stigma and investigate how different groups of fans have created different narratives around Jewish identity to make it meaningful for them

Aesthetics · Art · Fandom · Football · Humanities · Identity (music · Interpretation (philosophy · Jewish identity · Judaism · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Opposition (politics · Participant observation · Persona · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Law · Music History and Culture · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society

  • ‘We wear the title Yid with pride’

    Open Access•Bonita Corrie-Lunn, Stuart Whigham•Cogent Social Sciences•2026

  • When is Self-Labeling Seen as Reclaiming? The Role of User and Observer's Sexual Orientation in Processing Homophobic and Category Labels’ use

    Open Access•Samuel Sturaro, C Suitner et al.•Journal of Language and Social…•2023

  • Football fandom

    Amir Ben Porat•Soccer and Society•2010

  • Playing the Jew

    J Stratton•Jewish Culture and History•2015

  • Stigma, the Moral Career of a Concept

    Open Access•Thaddeus Müller•Symbolic Interaction•2020

  • Fans, Racism and British Football in the Twenty-First Century

    Jamie Cleland, Ernest Cashmore et al.•New Community•2014

  • Uses and meanings of 'Yid' in English football fandom

    Open Access•E Poulton, Oliver Durell•International Review for the…•2016

  • Supporters, Followers, Fans, and Flaneurs

    Open Access•R Giulianotti•Journal of Sport and Social Issues•2002

  • Towards understanding

    E Poulton•Ethnic and Racial Studies•2016

  • Symbolic ethnicity

    Herbert J Gans•Ethnic and Racial Studies•1979

Citations per year0.67
Citation span2023 - 2026 (4)
Highly citedNo

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Open DOIOpen Access
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