African football migration offers essential coverage of why and how African players have become actors in the global football industry. It reveals the meanings associated with migration in post-colonial Africa, and the implications of (im)mobility for the personal and professional life trajectories of youth and young men across the continent.
The global success of football icons like Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah has fuelled the migratory projects of countless young men across the African continent who dream of following in their footsteps. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic research, the book chronicles the experiences and trajectories of those pursuing this highly prized form of transnational migration. This book uncovers and traces the myriad actors, networks and institutions that affect the ability of young people across the continent to realise social mobility through football’s global production network.
The book sheds critical light on the barriers to social mobility erected by neoliberal capitalism, and how these are negotiated. It also generates original interdisciplinary perspectives on the complex interplay between structural forces and human agency, as young players navigate an industry rife with commercial speculation.
By:
Paul Darby,
James Esson,
Dr Christian Ungruhe
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 15mm
Weight: 408g
ISBN: 9781526171993
ISBN 10: 1526171996
Series: Globalizing Sport Studies
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 November 2023
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction 1 Theorising African football migration 2 The history, geography and regulation of African football migration 3 ‘Producing’ African labour for the global football industry 4 Speculation in and through football migration 5 ‘Becoming a somebody’ through football 6 Luck, sackings and involuntary immobility in football 7 Navigating liminality in foreign football industries 8 Hope and precarity in transnational football careers 9 Post-playing-career transitions and struggles Conclusion Index -- .
Paul Darby is a Reader in the Sociology of Sport at Ulster University James Esson is a Reader in Human Geography at Loughborough University Christian Ungruhe is a Research Fellow in Social Anthropology at Erasmus University Rotterdam -- .
Reviews for African Football Migration: Aspirations, Experiences and Trajectories
‘This is an instant classic! Theoretically sophisticated, meticulously conducted and wonderfully readable, this study of sports migration will become the new standard by which to understand global football.’ Alan Klein, Northeastern University ‘An interdisciplinary, longitudinal, multispatial and multidimensional approach to the analysis of African football migration.’ Alessio Norrito, Loughborough University -- .
