Communities of risk and cosmopolitanism? A comparative study of football supporters’ resistance to processes of risk and (in)security

Kossakowski, R and Ludvigsen, J (2025) Communities of risk and cosmopolitanism? A comparative study of football supporters’ resistance to processes of risk and (in)security. Sociology Compass, 19 (5). pp. 1-10. ISSN 1751-9020

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Abstract

In the sociology of risk, existing literature commonly highlights the catastrophic nature of ‘risk’. Following Ulrich Beck's theories, however, the (world) risk society also presents opportunities for cosmopolitan risk communities that emerge from shared experiences of risks and threats, whereby social actors mobilize in a response to experiences of risk. Though, a sociological puzzle—which this paper tackles—relates to what these risk communities look like within an empirical setting. By providing a comparative analysis of football supporters resistance to the management of risk and insecurity in Polish and English football, we analyse how football fans respond to the risks associated with the securitization of football and how they form risk communities in this context. As demonstrated, the risks experienced by fans in both countries have cosmopolitan origins (stemming from, e.g., regulations of supranational organizations), even if they are distributed by national agencies. The article concludes with a discussion of the possibility of a cosmopolitan community of risk emerging among fans from different countries and the potential obstacles to its formation and functioning. It advances our understanding of problems encountered within the redefinition of communities in risk societies.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1608 Sociology; 2001 Communication and Media Studies; 4405 Gender studies; 4410 Sociology
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD61 Risk Management G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Humanities and Social Science
Publisher:	Wiley
Date of acceptance:	29 April 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	7 May 2025
Date Deposited:	07 May 2025 09:28
Last Modified:	07 May 2025 09:30
DOI or ID number:	10.1111/soc4.70064
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26317

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