LITERARY HOOLIGAN: AN INDIVIDUALISTIC APPRAOCH TO UNDERSTANDING A LIFE OF VIOLENCE AND REFORMATION

Abstract

This study aimed to broaden our sociological understanding of football hooliganism by examining one auto biographical text and autobiographical data from a range of academic sources. A prominent figure from the ‘heyday’ of the hooligan phenomenon was selected and his life story analysed to reveal how the experiences of his life led him into hooliganism and how the nature of self/identity was reconstructed over time. This thesis also analyses the transformation process from football hooligan to family man. For example, the study of Cass Pennants autobiography, entitled ‘Cass’, suggested he was not motivated by a love of the sport or a particular team but rather by a sense of belonging and the need to confirm his masculine identity through violence. Cass’ transformation is revealed to be inspired by the sense of belonging and masculinity that family life provided.