Books by John Kelly
Articles (Peer Reviewed) by John Kelly
Communication & Sport, 2020
Sport has been a major strategic cultural practice used by Western allies to encourage citizens t... more Sport has been a major strategic cultural practice used by Western allies to encourage citizens to support and “thank” their governments’ military actors. This increasingly visible intersection of sport and militarism occurred simultaneously alongside the development of propaganda departments by the American and Canadian governments seeking to use sport (and other popular cultural activities) to communicate consent for their respective military actors and actions. United Kingdom (UK) has witnessed many of these campaigns being replicated with a wide range of popular culture practices being utilized to provide public performances of support for its nation’s military personnel. This article critically analyzes “support the troops” rhetoric in UK by discussing a selection of official sporting and political articulations. Of significance is the extent to which those coordinating numerous support strategies for military-related violence (and its political rationale) have incorporated the language and symbolism of UK military-related remembrance, which historically has been viewed as a sorrowful and sombre reflection on the mass slaughter of millions during two world wars. The significance and centrality of on-the-surface-apolitical communication in and of sport as a form of ideological inculcation is illustrated.
Sport, Education and Society, 2019
Journal of Youth Studies, 2018
Soccer & Society, 2018
It has been customary to think of the rivalry between Heart of Midlothian FC (Hearts) and Hiberni... more It has been customary to think of the rivalry between Heart of Midlothian FC (Hearts) and Hibernian FC (Hibs) in Scotland's capital city as a less well-known and diluted imitation of the rivalry between Glasgow's so-called Old Firm of Celtic and Rangers with both rivalries being located within the context of sectarian identity politics. In fact, as argued in this article, the early history of the two Edinburgh clubs reveals a considerably closer association with sectarianism than is to be found in the initial years of the Old Firm. In support of this claim, evidence is drawn here from Hibs' exclusively Catholic origins and from Hearts' militaristic connections at the time of the First World War. On the other hand, as we further demonstrate, the contemporary rivalry between Hearts and Hibs owes less to religious and ethnic division than to spatial factors, or at the very least to the imagining of place, and to perceptions centred on the comparable images of the two clubs, both on and off the field of play, not least in relation to social class. With specific reference to place, while Hearts supporters are eager to celebrate their club as 'the talk o' the toon (town)', one is increasingly obliged to consider which Edinburgh imaginary is implied in their famous old song and also what Hibs supporters' celebration of the city's district of Leith tell us about the current rivalry. Furthermore, while the Hearts-Hibs rivalry has entered a post-sectarian phase, sectarian elements do remain a feature of both clubs although these tend to manifest themselves when they are in opposition to one or other of Glasgow's Old Firm clubs for specific political and ethnic reasons.
This research examines how adolescent males perceive, embody and perform their masculine identiti... more This research examines how adolescent males perceive, embody and perform their masculine identities within the context of physical education (PE). A group of adolescent boys from a state secondary school in Scotland were observed over a period of three months. During the third month, five of the observed students volunteered to take part in a conversation with the lead researcher which was guided by their participation in a repertory grid task. The same five participants also took part in a one-to-one semi-structured interview. The analysis of the evidence revealed that the adolescent students internalised and performed an orthodox form of masculinity that centred on strength, pain tolerance and the policing of others. More inclusive masculinities appeared to be emerging, however, the hypermasculine and public nature of the PE environment made it very difficult for the students to freely adopt or perform these alternative, more inclusive forms of masculinity. Additionally, those students who did perform traits associated with inclusive masculinity often exhibited a high degree of social and physical capital before they felt able to do so. In order to facilitate a culture where all individuals feel free to express their gendered identities, teachers are encouraged to recognise, promote and celebrate multiple masculinities.
This article analyses the social interactions and behaviours evident within an adult, amateur bal... more This article analyses the social interactions and behaviours evident within an adult, amateur ballet class in one of Scotland's cities. Using an ethnographic empirical approach, the study utilises Erving Goffman's (1959) model of dramaturgy to explore the impression management of participants from the ballet class. Evidence (data) was generated through a triangulation of methods enabling the following themes to be explored: vocabulary of ballet; ballet body idiom; teacher-pupil dynamics. The creation of a grounded coding framework saw evidence emerge to suggest that the nature of the dominant 'realities' being presented and maintained are ones that reinforce and authenticate the dancers as embodied ballet students. Much ballet related behavior involves staged presentations of self, felt to be necessary for conveying the 'correct' impression or demeanour expected of a ballet dancer. This article explores the techniques adopted to foster, present and maintain these fronts, seeking to theoretically explain their contextual aspects.
This research explores contemporary Scottish football identities in the period between the re-ope... more This research explores contemporary Scottish football identities in the period between the re-opening of the Scottish parliament and the up-coming referendum vote on independence/separation i . Specifically it discusses some commonly expressed attitudes and opinions of a selection of football supporters from three of Scotland's professional clubs based in the country's two largest cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. The research exposes the multilayered nature of Scottish football identity revealing a growing disdain among some non-Old Firm fans for the Old Firm clubs of Rangers and Celtic. With the established Scottish Parliament providing a degree of political autonomy and the upcoming independence referendum looming, 'becoming a nation again' has precipitated Scotland football fans seeking more positive expressions of identity in which to express themselves. This has resulted in 'sectarianism' ii and the Old Firm increasingly becoming a common folk devil for football fans in twenty first century Scotland.
A number of culturally significant practices have become incorporated into promoting and normalis... more A number of culturally significant practices have become incorporated into promoting and normalising British militarism in the face of increasing controversies surrounding Britain’s role in the “War on Terror”. Utilising a critical discourse analysis, this article draws on Goffman’s deference and demeanour work and asserts that in conjunction with other popular cultural practices, sport is being co-opted into a multi-agency strategy that positions the military, government, media and citizens in a joint ceremony of supportive affirmation of UK militarism. A discursive formation, which circumscribes legitimate discourses around the “War on Terror” is shown to symbolically annihilate critical opposition to British aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan whilst normalising the joint ceremony of support.
This article provides a critical discourse analysis of Scottish newspaper reports relating to foo... more This article provides a critical discourse analysis of Scottish newspaper reports relating to football and ‘sectarianism’ in Scotland. It claims that there is a powerful and longstanding ideological ‘framing’ of sectarianism in sections of the Scottish press that is latently power-laden. This discourse attempts to construct and reaffirm a unified non-sectarian core identity that ‘real’ and ‘authentic’ Scots (should) share in opposition to a set of sectarian ‘others’. The various connotations attached to sectarian and sectarianism, together with their use in particular ways that reflect an ideological hegemony, are illustrated. Much of the press treatment of sectarianism is shown to lack sensitivity to the historical, hierarchical and relational aspects of religious, political and ethnic identities in Scotland.
"The popular expression of the Irish sporting diaspora in Scotland has traditionally been closely... more "The popular expression of the Irish sporting diaspora in Scotland has traditionally been closely associated with Celtic Football Club, despite Hibernian Football Club (Hibs), formed in 1875 by the Catholic Young Men's Society, being the first prominent Irish Catholic football club in Scotland. During Hibs’ history, with increasing assimilation into Edinburgh and Scottish society, there have been periods when the club's Irish Catholic ethos has been challenged, resulting in its identity having to be renegotiated. For some supporters (Catholic) ‘Irish’ symbols signify a simplistic and pejorative association to ‘sectarian’ and as such there have been periods when they have downplayed this element of their identity. [1
] This makes erroneous any claims that Hibs is the Celtic of the East. However, at the same time, it is naive to disregard the efficacy which ‘Irishness’ holds for sections of Hibs' supporters. In the increasingly secularized and corporatized environment of the Scottish Premier League, there are renewed attempts, for different reasons perhaps, at reclaiming Hibs' ‘Irishness’ within the club itself and among some of its supporters. Ironically, this process of Hibs reclaiming its ‘Irishness’ is occurring when sections of Celtic's supporters are increasingly questioning the legitimacy of their ‘Irishness’. [2] This essay attempts to locate and analyse the sense of ‘Irishness’ existing among Hibs supporters today. Hibs' relationship with its main ‘other’, Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts), is shown to exhibit a unique inter-city Edinburgh rivalry that intimately affects the nature of Hibs' ‘Irishness’, ensuring its differences from that of Celtic's. The interconnected nature of Hibs' and Celtic fans' respective sense of ‘Irishness’ is demonstrated in the increased confidence and desire of Hibs FC to begin reclaiming its ‘Irishness’ without fear of being associated with the often disdainfully viewed Celtic or ‘sectarianism’."
Book Chapters by John Kelly
Butterworth (ed.) Global Sport and Militarism , 2017
This chapter focuses on Britain and the relationship between sport, popular culture and British/A... more This chapter focuses on Britain and the relationship between sport, popular culture and British/Allied militarism. In particular, it argues that in conjunction with the post-9/11 ‘war on terror’, ‘remembrance’ in Britain has become a year-round and universal set of events and practices, which serve to reinforce and endorse British militarism. The chapter discusses these shifts in the context of British sport and popular culture events that have become incorporated into reinforcing this ideologically loaded remembrance. It begins by charting the subtle political-cultural shift in focus from sorrowful remembrance to glorifying British/Allied militarism in the name of an assumed ‘heroic’ and just ‘war on terror’ before demonstrating some of the ways in which this military-focused remembrance has grown to become a year round series of omnipresent events into which British citizens are incorporated by proxy and subsequently expected to dogmatically endorse. Once this militarization and universalism of British remembrance is presented, the chapter turns to sport in particular and, after discussing some recent examples where sport and militarism are fused, focus turns to a sporting case study to reveal the paradox and inconsistencies in how remembrance is treated in Britain. This discussion considers the paradoxical interpretation of four key elements and their relationship to one another. These elements (ideological cause; actor; action; outcome of action) and their relationship to one another are shown to be treated differently by mainstream British cultural-political opinion formers depending on the ideological cause and actors involved. Sport and popular culture are illustrated as key sites for either legitimizing or demonizing contrasting ideological positions relating to militaristic violence.
Key words: remembrance; sport; politics; violence; ideology; incorporating by proxy
The chapter articulates the convergence of the political system (state governance, policy, lega... more The chapter articulates the convergence of the political system (state governance, policy, legal framework) and politics (seeking to establish ideological authority) with civil society and the manufacturing of public consent. In particular, it discusses how this political work is often done in the cultural sphere (as Andrews also demonstrates in this collection). The chapter is necessarily limited in scope given that a variety of theoretical topics could be discussed in relation to the sport-military nexus. For instance, social class, gender and sexuality all promise potentially rich, important and overlapping insights . But this chapter places primacy on the issue of ideological support for actors who conduct violence, rendering issues such as whether or not the actor is working class, female or gay discussions for elsewhere. The chapter illustrates how, in conjunction with a number of other highly valued cultural activities and symbolic goods, sport is incorporated into providing militarism with a platform enabling governments and militarists to ‘incorporate us by proxy’ (Kelly 2012) into supporting (or appearing to support) their militaristic actions and related political frameworks. When broadened out further, these political frameworks encompass, to varying degrees, self/state surveillance, self/state censorship and the surrendering of individual freedoms to an overarching state authority. Sport is one of the primary sites involved in what has become a multi-agency web of inter-dependent and inter-active figurations involving governments, media, sporting governing bodies, sports organisations, grassroots charities, state sponsored charities and individual citizens that facilitate and encourage us all to support the troops.
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Books by John Kelly
Articles (Peer Reviewed) by John Kelly
] This makes erroneous any claims that Hibs is the Celtic of the East. However, at the same time, it is naive to disregard the efficacy which ‘Irishness’ holds for sections of Hibs' supporters. In the increasingly secularized and corporatized environment of the Scottish Premier League, there are renewed attempts, for different reasons perhaps, at reclaiming Hibs' ‘Irishness’ within the club itself and among some of its supporters. Ironically, this process of Hibs reclaiming its ‘Irishness’ is occurring when sections of Celtic's supporters are increasingly questioning the legitimacy of their ‘Irishness’. [2] This essay attempts to locate and analyse the sense of ‘Irishness’ existing among Hibs supporters today. Hibs' relationship with its main ‘other’, Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts), is shown to exhibit a unique inter-city Edinburgh rivalry that intimately affects the nature of Hibs' ‘Irishness’, ensuring its differences from that of Celtic's. The interconnected nature of Hibs' and Celtic fans' respective sense of ‘Irishness’ is demonstrated in the increased confidence and desire of Hibs FC to begin reclaiming its ‘Irishness’ without fear of being associated with the often disdainfully viewed Celtic or ‘sectarianism’."
Book Chapters by John Kelly
Key words: remembrance; sport; politics; violence; ideology; incorporating by proxy
] This makes erroneous any claims that Hibs is the Celtic of the East. However, at the same time, it is naive to disregard the efficacy which ‘Irishness’ holds for sections of Hibs' supporters. In the increasingly secularized and corporatized environment of the Scottish Premier League, there are renewed attempts, for different reasons perhaps, at reclaiming Hibs' ‘Irishness’ within the club itself and among some of its supporters. Ironically, this process of Hibs reclaiming its ‘Irishness’ is occurring when sections of Celtic's supporters are increasingly questioning the legitimacy of their ‘Irishness’. [2] This essay attempts to locate and analyse the sense of ‘Irishness’ existing among Hibs supporters today. Hibs' relationship with its main ‘other’, Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts), is shown to exhibit a unique inter-city Edinburgh rivalry that intimately affects the nature of Hibs' ‘Irishness’, ensuring its differences from that of Celtic's. The interconnected nature of Hibs' and Celtic fans' respective sense of ‘Irishness’ is demonstrated in the increased confidence and desire of Hibs FC to begin reclaiming its ‘Irishness’ without fear of being associated with the often disdainfully viewed Celtic or ‘sectarianism’."
Key words: remembrance; sport; politics; violence; ideology; incorporating by proxy
KEYWORDS Sectarianism; football; language; offensiveness; Hun; Fenian