Football and Identity

: The case of Venezia FC

Abstract

The thesis aims to analyse the relationship between local identities, society and geography through the case study of the football team Venezia FC. Firstly, I outline how community identity is formed on a regional and national scale by using the works of Benedict Anderson and Eric Hobsbawm on the subject of nation-building. After the framework for community has been established, I then analyse how identity is experienced through football by both Italians and Venetians. With football, I assess and compare the differences between the weekly ritual of match attendance and the singular event of a live performance. The game of football, like Venice, is increasingly international and allows me to analyse the impacts of mass tourism, commodification and globalisation. I use a mix of phenomenological, narrative and ethnographic research approaches to access both top-down and bottom-up findings on Venice, Venezia FC and Italian culture.

Date of Award	20 Jan 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	John M Foot (Supervisor) & Matthew D Brown (Supervisor)