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In postwar Britain, social anxiety about government repression, immigration and unemployment spilled over into violence and racial intolerance. Much of this tension was vented at football matches, traditionally the forum for working-class diversion. This study, based on government records, newspaper articles and fanzines, explores the complex interaction between politicians, police and the perpetrators of the violence. Bebber looks at how successive governments tried to impose law and order on football ‘hooligans’, whilst inadvertently escalating the violence. Football is revealed not only as a mirror of society but as an agent of social and cultural change.
"'Few scholars have sought to examine the policing of football hooliganism and the least studied of all aspects is the impact of counter-hooliganism policies. In Violence and Racism in Football: Politics and Cultural Conflict in British Society, 1968-1998, the American historian Brett Bebber aims at drawing a broader picture of the phenomenon. His study, based on research in government archives, police records, newspaper articles, and fanzines, examines the interactions between politicians, police and violent spectators.'
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