Talking up the game: Football and the reconstruction of Liberia, West Africa

Most people will accept the contention that sport has an ideological site. Indeed sport might be considered as the broadest cultural denomination in many nations, capable of creating and sustaining a sense of identity and belonging crucial to national integration. Expressions around sport and, in this instance, specifically Association Football (soccer) appeal to individuals supportive of a variety of ideological perspectives. Thus, the pursuit of any, understanding of the game has to be sought with reference to culturally specific power relations. The role that football can play in both the construction of national identity and the rehabilitation of the former militia in a war-damaged society is the focus of this ethnographic inquiry. The location is Liberia, West Africa, beginning in 1998, a year after the election that marked the end of almost a decade of civil conflict.