Symposium on: The other face of supporterism: self-regulation, collective mobilization and social movements

Today, there are countless publications devoted to supporters. However, if the question was mainly addressed in terms of disturbance and violence, studies on the modes of organization and functionality of groups that drive stadiums are still sparse.

To remedy this, a CIES meeting was held on 14th  September 2012 in Neuchâtel with a panel of researchers to exchange knowledge on the subject. The meeting allowed a dozen stakeholders to present the results of their research which had already been completed or was currently in progress and had been conducted in Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, France, Romania and Switzerland. In particular, the comparative perspective and broadening of the discussion to countries in Eastern Europe and other continents contributed to the rich debates, but also stimulated thinking about explanatory models. It also emerged on the day that more and more supporters tended to defend common interests against clubs, federations and public bodies, and to relegate momentarily background rivalries and conflicts that appear throughout the championships.

The conference proceedings will be published in 2013 in the collections of the CIES