Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ULTRA-VIOLENCE (Ultras in Portugal: Narratives of Violence, Politics and Gender)
Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2022-08-31
The rise of political extremes, mostly right-leaning, is the most important European development of the 21st century due to its potential to undermine the continent’s integrity and security. One of the contexts in which such political extremes originate, develop, and thrive is among a group of football fans known as ultras. Ultras have become the most spectacular form of football fandom, showcasing violence, politics, masculinity, and a fervent support of the club, which has been demonstrated by several case studies, undertaken in a variety of settings.
The case study chosen to conduct this analysis was Portugal, where, despite the size of the phenomenon, ultra activism has not received much attention from researchers or policymakers. Over the last two decades, there have been increasing demonstrations of violence related to football fandom, including threats, destruction of public and private property, players’ cars, firm buses, etc.
ULTRA-VIOLENCE’s specific research objectives were:
RO1. To map the themes populating the ultra world and the types of activism in which ultras are involved in through a digital ethnography
RO2. To identify the micro-, meso-, and macro-level processes that shape individual pathways through the ultra world. This will be achieved by examining how football fandom and activism are intertwined in the material and intellectual paraphernalia produced by ultras and by analysing the life stories of current and former, male and female ultras, using the intersectionality of peace framework.
RO3. To understand the policing and securitisation of football fandom in Portugal and their implications regarding processes of radicalisation towards the commission of violence in the ultra community.
RO4. To produce knowledge for practitioner and policymaker audiences at European level to enhance their understanding and appreciation of how to invest in prevention and intervention strategies in the context of ultra violence and ultra activism.
The case study chosen to conduct this analysis was Portugal, where, despite the size of the phenomenon, ultra activism has not received much attention from researchers or policymakers. Over the last two decades, there have been increasing demonstrations of violence related to football fandom, including threats, destruction of public and private property, players’ cars, firm buses, etc.
ULTRA-VIOLENCE’s specific research objectives were:
RO1. To map the themes populating the ultra world and the types of activism in which ultras are involved in through a digital ethnography
RO2. To identify the micro-, meso-, and macro-level processes that shape individual pathways through the ultra world. This will be achieved by examining how football fandom and activism are intertwined in the material and intellectual paraphernalia produced by ultras and by analysing the life stories of current and former, male and female ultras, using the intersectionality of peace framework.
RO3. To understand the policing and securitisation of football fandom in Portugal and their implications regarding processes of radicalisation towards the commission of violence in the ultra community.
RO4. To produce knowledge for practitioner and policymaker audiences at European level to enhance their understanding and appreciation of how to invest in prevention and intervention strategies in the context of ultra violence and ultra activism.
Throughout this project, the researcher achieved:
1. Three book proposals. The first (co-authored with Josefin Graef and Nicolas Lemay-Hébert) is entitled: Narrative, Political Violence and Social Change. This proposal has been reviewed and accepted by Routledge, with whom we have signed a book contract (Research Objectives 1, 2 & 3). The second (co-authored with Alice Martini) is entitled: Contemporary Reflections on Critical Terrorism Studies. This proposal has been reviewed and accepted by Routledge, with whom we have signed a book contract (Research Objectives 1, 2 & 3). The second (co-authored with James Fitzgerald) is entitled: I am not a terrorist. This proposal is currently under review with Bristol University Press (Research Objectives 1, 2, 3 & 4).
2. A permanent academic position (Assistant Professor) at the School of Economics at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
3. Four articles accepted/under review in peer review journals; three book chapters accepted, and one Special Issue proposal accepted in the journal Critical Studies on Terrorism.
4. Several meetings to present my research to academic and non-academic audiences nationally and internationally (ROs, 1, 2, 3 & 4).
5. Developed skills in Project management, Research integrity (Researcher career).
6. Eleven Conference and Seminar presentations (all online due to the COVID-19 pandemic) (ROs, 1, 2, 3 & 4).
7. The organisation of two Online Seminar Series. One co-organised with Leena Malkki (University of Helsinki) as a Steering Committee member of the ECPR Standing Group on Political Violence. The other co-organised with Alice Martini (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Tom Pettinger (University of Warwick) as co-convenor of the BISA Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group.
8. The organisation of two annual conferences (2020 and 2021) of the Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group (BISA). Both co-organised with Alice Martini (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Tom Pettinger (University of Warwick) as co-convenor of the BISA Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group.
9. The organisation of one online creative workshop entitled ‘Children Embroidering Peace’. Co-organised with Dr Giuditta Fontana (University of Birmingham).
10. The organisation of the launch of the book ‘Encountering Extremism: Theoretical Issues and Local Challenges’, co-organised with Dr Alice Martini (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Dr Tom Pettinger (University of Warwick) as co-convenor of the Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group (BISA).
11. Developed further research projects (submitted three grant applications) and received one research grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology on ideologically inspired hate crimes in Portugal (RO4).
12. A strong foundation for developing a ground-breaking project in peace and conflict studies (currently in preparation) for ERC (ROs, 1, 2, 3 & 4).
1. Three book proposals. The first (co-authored with Josefin Graef and Nicolas Lemay-Hébert) is entitled: Narrative, Political Violence and Social Change. This proposal has been reviewed and accepted by Routledge, with whom we have signed a book contract (Research Objectives 1, 2 & 3). The second (co-authored with Alice Martini) is entitled: Contemporary Reflections on Critical Terrorism Studies. This proposal has been reviewed and accepted by Routledge, with whom we have signed a book contract (Research Objectives 1, 2 & 3). The second (co-authored with James Fitzgerald) is entitled: I am not a terrorist. This proposal is currently under review with Bristol University Press (Research Objectives 1, 2, 3 & 4).
2. A permanent academic position (Assistant Professor) at the School of Economics at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
3. Four articles accepted/under review in peer review journals; three book chapters accepted, and one Special Issue proposal accepted in the journal Critical Studies on Terrorism.
4. Several meetings to present my research to academic and non-academic audiences nationally and internationally (ROs, 1, 2, 3 & 4).
5. Developed skills in Project management, Research integrity (Researcher career).
6. Eleven Conference and Seminar presentations (all online due to the COVID-19 pandemic) (ROs, 1, 2, 3 & 4).
7. The organisation of two Online Seminar Series. One co-organised with Leena Malkki (University of Helsinki) as a Steering Committee member of the ECPR Standing Group on Political Violence. The other co-organised with Alice Martini (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Tom Pettinger (University of Warwick) as co-convenor of the BISA Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group.
8. The organisation of two annual conferences (2020 and 2021) of the Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group (BISA). Both co-organised with Alice Martini (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Tom Pettinger (University of Warwick) as co-convenor of the BISA Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group.
9. The organisation of one online creative workshop entitled ‘Children Embroidering Peace’. Co-organised with Dr Giuditta Fontana (University of Birmingham).
10. The organisation of the launch of the book ‘Encountering Extremism: Theoretical Issues and Local Challenges’, co-organised with Dr Alice Martini (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Dr Tom Pettinger (University of Warwick) as co-convenor of the Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group (BISA).
11. Developed further research projects (submitted three grant applications) and received one research grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology on ideologically inspired hate crimes in Portugal (RO4).
12. A strong foundation for developing a ground-breaking project in peace and conflict studies (currently in preparation) for ERC (ROs, 1, 2, 3 & 4).
Ultra activism has been studied from a very narrow angle, both theoretically and methodologically. Theoretically, while sociological perspectives have dominated ultra research, with a few contributions from other disciplines, the theoretical input of international relations (IR) scholars has been very limited, and no obvious IR schools of theory have been applied to this domain. In this sense, ULTRA-VIOLENCE has worked with critical theory to try to understand the intersection between different forms of violence and politically motivated violence, as well as the effects of securitisation in processes of radicalisation and engagement in violent social movements. In this sense, it analysed the criminalisation of ideologically motivated violence in Portugal, including extreme right violence (which has links to ultra violence), reflecting on the legal and non-legal reasonings behind prosecution practices and contributing to the international debate regarding the criminalisation of ideologically motivated violence.
Methodologically, the vast majority of ultra research focuses solely on traditional ethnographic observations and interviews regarding match-day experiences . Consequently, the existing literature on the ultra world has yet to satisfactorily examine the relationship between ultra activism within football and participation in social movements, violent and non-violent, outside of football. In this sense, ULTRA-VIOLENCE used digital methods to access hard-to-reach groups and information, which lead to the creation of a database of ultra activism on social media, which is now being used in a paper under-preparation. The researcher also developed creative methods that were only applied on an online workshop with children, who were asked to embroider what peace means to them, but will also be applied to ultras and their families in the near future.
This fellowship opened up great possibilities to meet and collaborate with influential scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in the field of peace and conflict studies in Portugal and abroad. Various trainings, meetings, conferences, and presentations in which the fellow was engaged in helped her secure a tenure position in the most prestigious University in Portugal – the University of Coimbra. Furthermore, the research and the field visits that she made during her fellowship have been vital in shaping up her future research agenda in the field of peace and conflict studies from a global perspective.
Methodologically, the vast majority of ultra research focuses solely on traditional ethnographic observations and interviews regarding match-day experiences . Consequently, the existing literature on the ultra world has yet to satisfactorily examine the relationship between ultra activism within football and participation in social movements, violent and non-violent, outside of football. In this sense, ULTRA-VIOLENCE used digital methods to access hard-to-reach groups and information, which lead to the creation of a database of ultra activism on social media, which is now being used in a paper under-preparation. The researcher also developed creative methods that were only applied on an online workshop with children, who were asked to embroider what peace means to them, but will also be applied to ultras and their families in the near future.
This fellowship opened up great possibilities to meet and collaborate with influential scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in the field of peace and conflict studies in Portugal and abroad. Various trainings, meetings, conferences, and presentations in which the fellow was engaged in helped her secure a tenure position in the most prestigious University in Portugal – the University of Coimbra. Furthermore, the research and the field visits that she made during her fellowship have been vital in shaping up her future research agenda in the field of peace and conflict studies from a global perspective.