CULTURAL AND IDENTITY DIFFERENCES IN FRANCE THROUGH THE ULTRAS OF PARIS SAINT GERMAIN

Abstract

This article seeks to use football, the grandstand and the figure of the supporter, more precisely, the old organized partisans of Paris Saint-Germain, to show the social, identity and ethnic transformations that France underwent during the 1970s and 2000s. In the period there was an increase in the immigration process for France of individuals coming mainly from the former colonies. The immigration wave caused changes in the Parisian and French society, generating a culture and identity shock that ended up being reflected in football. Antagonistic groups of organized fans sat facing each other in the curves of the Parc des Princes stadium, using the stands both to cheer, to express their identity and ideological positions, and to promote acts of violence and intolerance. After the banning of the old fans, new ultras filled their place in the stadium with a more tolerant and multicultural feature, but due to the current situation in Europe regarding immigration and diversity know how far this passivity is uncertain.