The English Disease. The Transformation of a Subculture

Examensarbeit aus dem Jahr 2020 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Kultur und Landeskunde, Note: 2,0, Universität Rostock, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The paper aims at providing a deeper understanding of the hooligan scene. Altogether the paper essentially consists of three main parts. The first part provides the theoretical framework to understand the nature of the phenomenon. Here the concept of subculture with its different approaches is introduced and the subcultural meaning of style will be analysed. Furthermore, the issues of class, masculinity and age, which are closely linked to the study of subcultures, will be considered in relation to football hooliganism in England. In the second part I will examine the development of hooliganism in England, starting in the 1960s when football-related violence attracted great public interest for the first time. Subsequently two events which can be seen as a watershed in the history of the English disease, Heysel and Hillsborough, will be analysed not only in terms of their procedure, but especially regarding their impact on football hooliganism. Part three deals with two selected films related to the subject of football hooliganism in England. Firstly, a plot synopsis of Lexi Alexander's 'Green Street Hooligans' and Pat Holden's 'Awaydays' will be provided. Afterwards, I will analyse specific selected scenes with reference to traces of the subculture that can be found in the films. In the final chapter the main findings will be summarised and the formulated questions will be finally answered.