Journal Articles by Colm Kearns
Irish Communications Review, 2016
Television & New Media, 2017
This article considers the representation of Irish identity in the media-sport discourse surround... more This article considers the representation of Irish identity in the media-sport discourse surrounding Euro 2016 in France. The behavior of Irish football fans attracted considerable attention in both the domestic and international media, and they were praised for their friendliness, helpfulness, and goodwill while in France. This media lionization eventually culminated in the Irish fans being awarded (jointly with their
Northern Irish neighbors) the Medal of the City of Paris in July 2016. In this article, we examine how fan footage, taken on smartphones and uploaded to the video hosting site YouTube (mostly by Irish fans themselves), featured centrally in news coverage of the tournament and fed a wider discourse about Irish identity, which relied on longstanding representational tropes. In concluding the article, we reflect on the paratextual significance of Euro 2016 for the Irish football team’s corporate sponsor Three, and more broadly, for Ireland as a nation brand.
Sport in Society, 2017
This paper derives from an ongoing study of how modern sports
contribute to the (re)definition of... more This paper derives from an ongoing study of how modern sports
contribute to the (re)definition of national identities in the context
of increasing marketization and mediatization of sport at different
levels. In this paper, we examine the symbolic tensions surrounding
Three Ireland’s concurrent sponsorship of the Irish international
football and rugby union teams via an analysis of two television
commercials commissioned by the sponsor. We suggest that although
different signifiers of Irish identity are employed in the football and
rugby commercials examined – and that each ostensibly represents a
different ‘version’ of Irish identity – both campaigns draw largely from a
common fund of cultural authenticity. Our analysis suggests that Three
Ireland has constructed broad texts that comfortably accommodate
differing signifiers of Irish identity and that permit the sponsor to
trade in limited and controllable degrees of cultural difference. More
broadly, our paper demonstrates how national identity can function
as a ‘multi-directional symbol’.
Conference Papers by Colm Kearns
This paper will examine the depiction of Irish soccer fandom in recent advertisements, with a vie... more This paper will examine the depiction of Irish soccer fandom in recent advertisements, with a view to exploring how soccer fandom in Ireland has come to function as a nostalgic balm for a society anxious over the transition it had undergone. The paper will chiefly focus on two recent advertisements; Ford’s ‘The Twelfth Man’ (2015) and Three Mobile’s ‘An Ode to Fans’ (2013), examining how they reaffirm traditional perceptions of Irish identity and reconcile them with modern Ireland. It will draw from various theoretical perspectives on modern Irish society (including the work of Luke Gibbons, Diane Negra and Kieran Bonner), in addition to critical writings on soccer fandom and the perception and depiction of the sport in the wider media (drawing from theorists such as Anne White and Marcus Free). The concepts of nostalgia and cultural stickiness will be outlined with a view to examining the cultural anxieties experienced by societies perceived to be in a period of significant transition. Theories on modern advertising will also be explored in order to expound on the significance of soccer fandom with regard to brands that seem to bear no direct connection to the sport itself, or the culture surrounding it. Ultimately, this paper will aim to highlight the anxiety in contemporary Irish society with regard to identity, and how soccer fandom (and the culture surrounding the sport as a whole) has been discoursively constructed as a link to traditional conceptions of identity deemed important to Irish culture.
This paper will explore Susanna Clarke's 2004 historical fantasy novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Nor... more This paper will explore Susanna Clarke's 2004 historical fantasy novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell from a feminist perspective, outlining how the text functions to critique the subjugation and exploitation of women. It will elaborate on the significance of the fantasy elements of the text, arguing that they are not merely incidental to the feminism of the text, but essential to it. In doing so, this paper will address criticisms of the fantasy genre's potential to refute dominant ideology and stake a claim for its radical potential. To support this claim, the paper will expound on the significance of the gothic and of historical fiction.
MA Dissertation by Colm Kearns
This dissertation examines a number of novels by contemporary British author Terry Pratchett with... more This dissertation examines a number of novels by contemporary British author Terry Pratchett with a view to arguing that the fantasy genre can produce ideologically progressive texts. Arguments regarding the ideological potential of the genre are examined with regard to this. Specifically, this dissertation contends that the novels can be read as a subversion of Orientalist ideology. The relationship between the fantasy genre and Orientalism is discussed. Cultural processes which support Orientalism, such as the concept of myth and cultural stereotyping in general, are also explored. Orientalism is argued to operate in a binary of exotic, occasionally demonised Oriental hetero-image and idealised Western auto-image. This dissertation asserts that the novels examined manage to subvert both sides of this binary. Ultimately, it contends that the novels transcend the perceived limits of their genre to subvert Orientalism and demonstrate fantasy’s ideological potential.
Papers by Colm Kearns
International Review for the Sociology of Sport
The term sportswashing has been discussed and analysed within academic circles, as well as the ma... more The term sportswashing has been discussed and analysed within academic circles, as well as the mainstream media. However, the majority of existing research has focused on one-off event-based sportswashing strategies (such as autocratic states hosting major international sports events) rather than longer term investment-based strategies (such as state actors purchasing sports clubs and teams). Furthermore, little has been written about the impact of this latter strategy on the existing fanbase of the purchased team and on their relationship with sportswashing and the discourses surrounding it. This paper addresses this lacuna through analysis of a popular Manchester City online fan forum, which illustrates the manner in which this community of dedicated City fans have legitimated the actions of the club's ownership regime, the Abu Dhabi United Group – a private equity group operated by Abu Dhabi royalty and UAE politicians. The discursive strategies of the City fans are discussed...
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Exploring online criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ protest during ‘Euro 2020’, this article exami... more Exploring online criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ protest during ‘Euro 2020’, this article examines how alt- and far-right conspiracies were both constructed and communicated via the social media platform, Twitter. By providing a novel exploration of alt-right conspiracies during an international football tournament, a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,388 original tweets relating to Euro 2020 was undertaken. The findings reveal how, in criticisms levelled at both ‘wokeism’ and the Black Lives Matter movement, antiwhite criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ protest were embroiled in alt-right conspiracies that exposed an assumed Cultural Marxist, ‘woke agenda’ in the tournament’s organization and mainstream media coverage. In conclusion, it is argued that conspiratorial discourses, associated with the alt-right, provided a framework through which the protest could be understood. This emphasises how the significance of conspiracy functions to promote the wider dissemination of alt-right ideology across popular cultural contexts, such as sport.
Soccer & Society, Mar 22, 2023
Communication & Sport
The rise of online hate speech in sports is a growing concern, with fans, players and officials s... more The rise of online hate speech in sports is a growing concern, with fans, players and officials subject to racist, sexist and homophobic abuse (in addition to many other prejudices) via social media platforms. While hate speech and discrimination have always been problems in sports, the growth of social media has seen them exacerbated exponentially. As a consequence, policy makers, sport governing bodies and grassroots anti-hate organisations are largely left playing catch-up with the rapidly shifting realm of online hate. Scholars have attempted to fill this vacuum with research into this topic, but such is the evolving nature of the issue that research has been diverse and fragmentary. We offer a scoping review into the scholarship of online hate in sport in order to encourage and facilitate further research into this urgent issue. Our review will achieve this through offering a comprehensive cataloguing of previously employed methodologies, case studies and conclusions. In doing ...
This PhD project focuses on the intersection of sport, advertising and national identity. Specifi... more This PhD project focuses on the intersection of sport, advertising and national identity. Specifically, it examines the period in which telecommunications brand, Three, were the primary sponsors of both major international sports teams in Ireland. Through exploring sponsorship campaigns Three commissioned for the Republic of Ireland international football (soccer) team and the Ireland international rugby union team, this project will expound on both the contextually specific nuances and wider international significance of the contemporary commercial leverage of the sport-nation nexus. Thus, it incorporates a variety of perspectives on Irish cultural studies and sports studies in order to shed light on the factors which shaped the production and reception of each campaign. In addition, the cultural and commercial significance of both campaigns are placed within a wider international context with a view to illustrating the distinct potential of sport as a vehicle for commercial expres...
Irish Communication Review, 2016
Television & New Media, 2017
This article considers the representation of Irish identity in the media-sport discourse surround... more This article considers the representation of Irish identity in the media-sport discourse surrounding Euro 2016 in France. The behavior of Irish football fans attracted considerable attention in both the domestic and international media, and they were praised for their friendliness, helpfulness, and goodwill while in France. This media lionization eventually culminated in the Irish fans being awarded (jointly with their Northern Irish neighbors) the Medal of the City of Paris in July 2016. In this article, we examine how fan footage, taken on smartphones and uploaded to the video-hosting site YouTube (mostly by Irish fans themselves), featured centrally in news coverage of the tournament and fed a wider discourse about Irish identity, which relied on longstanding representational tropes. In concluding the article, we reflect on the paratextual significance of Euro 2016 for the Irish football team’s corporate sponsor Three, and more broadly, for Ireland as a nation brand.
Sport in Society, 2016
Abstract This paper derives from an ongoing study of how modern sports contribute to the (re)defi... more Abstract This paper derives from an ongoing study of how modern sports contribute to the (re)definition of national identities in the context of increasing marketization and mediatization of sport at different levels. In this paper, we examine the symbolic tensions surrounding Three Ireland’s concurrent sponsorship of the Irish international football and rugby union teams via an analysis of two television commercials commissioned by the sponsor. We suggest that although different signifiers of Irish identity are employed in the football and rugby commercials examined – and that each ostensibly represents a different ‘version’ of Irish identity – both campaigns draw largely from a common fund of cultural authenticity. Our analysis suggests that Three Ireland has constructed broad texts that comfortably accommodate differing signifiers of Irish identity and that permit the sponsor to trade in limited and controllable degrees of cultural difference. More broadly, our paper demonstrates how national identity can function as a ‘multi-directional symbol’.
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Journal Articles by Colm Kearns
Northern Irish neighbors) the Medal of the City of Paris in July 2016. In this article, we examine how fan footage, taken on smartphones and uploaded to the video hosting site YouTube (mostly by Irish fans themselves), featured centrally in news coverage of the tournament and fed a wider discourse about Irish identity, which relied on longstanding representational tropes. In concluding the article, we reflect on the paratextual significance of Euro 2016 for the Irish football team’s corporate sponsor Three, and more broadly, for Ireland as a nation brand.
contribute to the (re)definition of national identities in the context
of increasing marketization and mediatization of sport at different
levels. In this paper, we examine the symbolic tensions surrounding
Three Ireland’s concurrent sponsorship of the Irish international
football and rugby union teams via an analysis of two television
commercials commissioned by the sponsor. We suggest that although
different signifiers of Irish identity are employed in the football and
rugby commercials examined – and that each ostensibly represents a
different ‘version’ of Irish identity – both campaigns draw largely from a
common fund of cultural authenticity. Our analysis suggests that Three
Ireland has constructed broad texts that comfortably accommodate
differing signifiers of Irish identity and that permit the sponsor to
trade in limited and controllable degrees of cultural difference. More
broadly, our paper demonstrates how national identity can function
as a ‘multi-directional symbol’.
Conference Papers by Colm Kearns
MA Dissertation by Colm Kearns
Papers by Colm Kearns
Northern Irish neighbors) the Medal of the City of Paris in July 2016. In this article, we examine how fan footage, taken on smartphones and uploaded to the video hosting site YouTube (mostly by Irish fans themselves), featured centrally in news coverage of the tournament and fed a wider discourse about Irish identity, which relied on longstanding representational tropes. In concluding the article, we reflect on the paratextual significance of Euro 2016 for the Irish football team’s corporate sponsor Three, and more broadly, for Ireland as a nation brand.
contribute to the (re)definition of national identities in the context
of increasing marketization and mediatization of sport at different
levels. In this paper, we examine the symbolic tensions surrounding
Three Ireland’s concurrent sponsorship of the Irish international
football and rugby union teams via an analysis of two television
commercials commissioned by the sponsor. We suggest that although
different signifiers of Irish identity are employed in the football and
rugby commercials examined – and that each ostensibly represents a
different ‘version’ of Irish identity – both campaigns draw largely from a
common fund of cultural authenticity. Our analysis suggests that Three
Ireland has constructed broad texts that comfortably accommodate
differing signifiers of Irish identity and that permit the sponsor to
trade in limited and controllable degrees of cultural difference. More
broadly, our paper demonstrates how national identity can function
as a ‘multi-directional symbol’.