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3 Int'l J. Soc. Sci. Stud. 121 (2015)
'From Rotterdam to Rio': Investigating Perceptions of Sporting, Socio-Political and Cultural Developments in Germany between 2000 and 2014

handle is hein.journals/ijsoctu3 and id is 676 raw text is: International Journal of Social Science Studies Vol. 3, No. 4; July 2015 Fam e ISSN 2324-8033 E-ISSN 2324-8041 Published by Redfame Publishing URL: http://ijsss.redfame.com 'From Rotterdam to Rio': Investigating Perceptions of Sporting, Socio-Political and Cultural Developments in Germany between 2000 and 2014 Neal Sutton' & Joel Rookwood Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Correspondence: Dr. Joel Rookwood, Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Liverpool, L16 9JD, United Kingdom. Received: June 4, 2015 Accepted: June 19, 2015 Available online: June 24, 2015. doi: 10.11114/ijsss.v3i4.899 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v3i4.899 Abstract This research explores the perceptions of a sample of German nationals towards socio-political, cultural and footballing contexts between periods of the UEFA European Championships in 2000 and the FIFA World Cup in 2014. The examinations of perceptions were obtained through interviews of German football fans from both western and eastern regions, including SV Werder Bremen club officials. The findings suggest that national pride has become an increasingly prominent feature in a unified Germany following the hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It is also argued here that immigration in German society has positively impacted the German national soccer team. However, there are some recurrent and seemingly problematic issues in German society pertaining to immigration and religious identity. Some fans and officials consider the promotion of national team manager Joachim Low as a catalyst in the subsequent success of the national team in Rio in 2014, impacting the development of German football from 2000. Keywords: Soccer, fans, Germany, hooligans, immigration, World Cup. Abbreviations Bundesliga - German Football First Division; DFB - Deutcherfupball Bund; DFL - Deutcherfj3ball League association; FRG - Federal Republic of Germany; GDR - German Democratic Republic; Nato- North Atlantic Treaty Organization; SME - Sporting Mega Events; UEFA - Union of European Football Associations. 'Soccer' and 'football' are used interchangeably in this article. 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction Identity can be thought of as the human capacity to know 'who's who' and hence 'what's what' (Jenkins, 2008: 5). Social identity is a term used in various contexts in the social sciences partly to illustrate individual comprehensions of the self as discrete, separate entities (Sharma and Sharma, 2010a). The construct is often considered to relate to the principles of sameness and differentiation over time and space, sustained through ceremony and ritual (Rookwood, 2012). Individuals negotiate their identities through social interactions, through internal identifications of their public image and through external engagements which others can accept or not - as individual identification emerges within the ongoing relationship between self-image and public image (Jenkins, 2008). Social identity is often considered a fluid rather than static construct, subject to innovation and reconstruction. However, pride can be framed as a more self-conscious emotion (Izard, Ackerman and Schultz, 1999), with experiences of joy often a reflection of what might be perceived as positive engagements (Carver and Johnson, 2011). Identity is a complex construct that is difficult to measure empirically. It is however often thought to be manifest in social life through a myriad of communicative acts, including the use of expressive forms such as clothing and flags, as well as one's body in physical movement and vocalization (Guschwan, 2011). Maguire (2005) and Kraszewski (2008) indicate that sports can symbolize local and national identities. In some socio-political contexts, this is particularly the case through soccer, which can allow opportunities for spectators to collectively reaffirm their own beliefs, values and myths that underlie their cultural identities (Rookwood, 2009a). 121

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