FC Barcelona History, Politics and Identity

Introduction: FC Barcelona, a Club Apart or Just Like All the Rest?

Jim O’Brien, Xavier Ginesta and Jordi de San Eugenio 

Part I: History and Political Culture 

1          FC Barcelona, Football, Politics and Culture: Foundations and Legacies

Jim O’Brien

2          The Transformation of FC Barcelona from ‘More Than a Club’ to a Global Brand

Joan Esculies and Iwan Williams

3          FC Barcelona, Governance, Democracy and the Commercial Impulse: Striking the Balance

Sean Hamil

4          Presidential Politics in FC Barcelona and Power in Contemporary Catalonia

Albert Juncà Pujol and Joel Rookwood

5          Politics, Identity, Capitalism and Desire: An Anthropologist Reports from Camp Nou

Mariann Vaczi 

Part II: Media, Cultures and Identities 

6          Folklore, Narratives and Metanarratives: The Commodification of FC Barcelona’s Storytelling

Joaquín Marín Montín and Paula Bianchi

7          FC Barcelona and Media Representations: Scottish Perspectives

Raymond Boyle

8          A Historical Perspective on Fan Cultures at FC Barcelona: Spectators, Supporters and Hooligans

Carles Viñas

9        FC Barcelona and Digital Communication in the Twenty-First Century: Strategy, Values and Entertainment in a Brave New World

Guillermo Sanahuja Peris, Eva Breva Franch and Santiago Mayorga Escalada 

Part III: Brands and Commodities 

10        Studying FC Barcelona as a Corporate Body:  How to Become a Global Entertainment Multinational in the Post-Covid Era

Xavier Ginesta, Enric Ordeix and Gregory Payne

11        Sport Diplomacy and Sport Place Branding in the Metropolitan, National and International Space: Promoting FC Barcelona and Catalonia

Xavier Ginesta, Jordi de San Eugenio and Gema Lobillo Mora

12        FC Barcelona and the European Super League: Necessity and Desire

Jordi Badia Perea, Santiago Giraldo Luque and Cristina Fernández Rovira 

Part IV: FC Barcelona and Its International Markets 

13        Lionel Messi as a Global Icon: The Player as Personal Brand in the History of FC Barcelona

Nahuel Ivan Faedo and Montse Corrius

14        FC Barcelona and the Middle Eastern, Chinese and Asian Markets: Eastern Frontiers

Carlos Pulleiro Méndez and Fernando Gutiérrez Chico

15        FC Barcelona in the United States: A Situational Assemblage

David L. Andrews, Francesc Solanellas, Junbin Yang and Brandon Wallace

16        FC Barcelona and Africa: The Blind Spot of Corporate Communication

Raúl Martínez Corcuera and Max Mauro 

Conclusion: A Catalan Club or a Global Superpower?

Jim O’Brien, Xavier Ginesta and Jordi de San Eugenio

Biography

Jim O'Brien is an independent author and scholar, most recently being Visiting Professor at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Spain. He has published extensively on football, politics and culture in Spain and Argentina, and is co-founder of SPRING (Sport and Politics Research International Network Group). His other research interests include the songs and music of Bob Dylan. He also writes autographical fiction.

Xavier Ginesta is Associate Professor at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Spain. His main research interests are sport management, communication and politics and sport place branding. He regularly collaborates with different media outlets as an expert in sport and politics. He is a member of the research group TRACTE (Audiovisual Translation, Communication and Territory) at the UVic-UCC and co-founder of the research network SPRING.

Jordi de San Eugenio is Full Professor at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Spain. His research interests include place branding, public diplomacy, environmental communication and humanistic geography. He is a member of the research group TRACTE (Audiovisual Translation, Communication and Territory) at the UVic-UCC.