Introduction to the Ethnography and Research of Football Gatherings in Romania

The first, introductory, chapter identifies the central questions of the book and lays the foundations to answer them, putting the issue in context. Romania had turned into a closed country by the eighties; those in power attempted to restrict and control all the information coming from abroad. Everyday life influenced by neo-Stalinist policy was characterised by generalised poverty, fear, control and coldness. As the national public television was under complete political control and exclusively served the purposes of propaganda and personality cult, it did not broadcast international football events. Thus, a specific phenomenon unfolds in the Romania of the eighties: inside the country people walk to the mountains to watch the matches, which results in the practice of football gatherings. The chapter introduces the parameters of multi-sited ethnographic research, and alongside the introductory case study from Cluj it demonstrates that because of its mass character, watching the games turned into a form of silent resistance. The opening chapter sets out the organization of the book.