| Summary/Abstract |
This paper argues that ‘doing’ football – as in playing, watching, talking about – constitutes a social field that cuts across otherwise racially coded urban landscapes. Where most work on fan cultures explore social practices and rituals inside that sacred space, the stadium, the focus here is on the interweaving of ‘doing football’ with the wider socio-cultural fabric incorporating neighbourhood spaces and stadiums. Expanding on Les Back’s notion of localised cultural spaces, oral histories of black Millwall fans will be used to critically engage with the popular perception of Millwall as a ‘racist club’. It is argued that the use of racial markers at The Den is used to target the opposition, whereas black Millwall supporters are accepted as contingent insiders.
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