This is the blog of Martin Johnes, Professor of Modern History at Swansea University.
Recent blogs
Anglo-Welsh football relations: a history
This article was first published in Tom Gibbons & Dominic Malcolm (eds), Sport and English National Identity in a ‘Disunited Kingdom’ (Routledge, 2017) All national identities owe something to relations with an ‘other’. As Linda Colley (1994: 6) put it, ‘men and women decide who they are by reference to who and what they are … Continue reading “Anglo-Welsh football relations: a history”
Why fans still matter: quick thoughts on the European Super League
Some of the reactions to the planned European Super League give the impression that money and profit are something new in football. Yet money, and arguments over money, are central to football’s history. There were loud and emotional complaints that football was all about cash as early as the 1880s. The Victorian elite complained that … Continue reading “Why fans still matter: quick thoughts on the European Super League”
A very brief history of boredom
Historians often puzzle about whether people in the past experienced the same emotions as we do. The consensus is that they probably did but that the meanings of those emotions could be quite different. Long and strenuous working hours made the absence of something to do probably more a relief than anything and it never … Continue reading “A very brief history of boredom”
