Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France"Laurent Dubois mines the history of French soccer for fascinating theories and riveting stories. His understanding of the relationship between the game and politics is subtle, leading readers deep into important discussions about race and national identity. For those of us who admired the poetics of Les Bleus this is essential reading."--Franklin Foer, author of How Soccer Explains the World "Laurent Dubois is historian, fan and graceful writer all in one. In soccer, he has found an innovative way to explore France and its empire. A serious book and an excellent read."--Simon Kuper, author of Soccernomics "Beautifully lyrical and authoritative. We meet a host of players, colonized and colonizer, following them from their original playing fields--a vast lawn, a concrete lot--to their triumphs in national and international play." --Alice Kaplan, author of The Interpreter "This book is a brilliant, beautifully written, and unique history of French colonialism and post-coloniality through the lens of football/soccer. Dubois weaves an eminently readable and engaging narrative that tracks tensions around race and national identity through the biographies of key football players and officials who became iconic of the aspirations of peripheral subjects of the French empire. More than a simple history of French football, the book amounts to a description of France's imperial project and an incisive reflection on the race question in contemporary France. It will please both fans of the 'beautiful game' and those inclined to dismiss sports as but the opium of the masses."--Paul Silverstein, author of Algeria in France: Transpolitics, Race and Nation |
Contents
The Language of Happiness | |
A Beautiful Harvest | |
Caribbean France | |
Crossings | |
Roots | |
Two Goals | |
Two Flags | |
Reconciliation | |
Burn | |
A car burns in ClichysousBois October 2005 215 | |
The silent march mourning the death of Traoré and Benna 227 | |
Young men in a Toulouse banlieue offer to play football with | |
Coup de Boule | |
Zidane and Materazzi the instant after the coup de boule 250 | |
Notes | |
Lilian Thuram runs toward the French fans with the tricolor flag | |
La France Métissée | |
Spanish artist Ana Juans portrait of the power of football 158 | |
An Unfinished | |
Sofia Benlemmane charges onto the field in the seventyninth minute | |
Zidane discusses his headbutt on French television 2006 260 | |
Zidane takes his final bow on the balcony of the Elysée Palace 2006 265 | |
The model of Lilian Thurams cranium put on display at the Musée | |
Acknowledgments | |
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Common terms and phrases
11 July 1998 World Cup accessed activists Algerian Algerian flag Algerian team anthem Antillean Antilles athletes ball banlieue Bleus Brazilian celebrated Champs-Elysées Chirac cités coach colonial competition coup de boule crowd culture declared defeat Dribbleurs Dumont Eboué empire European Cup fans football clubs football field Football in France football players football team France-Antilles French Caribbean French flag French football French national team French society French team Gastaut goal Guadeloupe Ibid immigrants insults insurrection Italian journalist Juillet Kabyle Karembeu kick kids L'Equipe later Le Figaro Libération Lilian Thuram Marcel Desailly Marseillaise Marseille Martinique Materazzi Mekloufi métissage Monde Muslim Nait-Challal neighborhood North African November organized Paris played police political professional football quote racaille racism recruited residents Rimet riots Sarkozy scored Sétif Soccer Sport et assimilation Stade de France stadium symbol teammates Thierry Henry tournament Trésor victory violence watched young youth Zidane's Zinedine Zidane