The Hostile Festivity: Music and Emotions in the Popular Crowd

Abstract

This article contributes to the anthropological studies on sport by presenting a theoretical proposal to understand the aspects that make up the festivities for organised supporters, especially those who define themselves as barras in Southern Brazil. To that end, the proposal recovers the consistent literature on the subject and proposes new developments based on anthropological propositions fostered from the studies of music, emotions and economic anthropology. The case in question involves the Guarda Popular supporters of SC Internacional from Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. The hypothesis suggested to understand the actions of this and of other fans suggests that their definitions of festivity in football include both support for and criticism of the club. The proposed notion of a ‘hostile festivity’ describes the music/warfare performances that must always be hostile to the opponents and, eventually, also to the club's managers and players.