Black Arsenal

Arsenal is unique. Its multicultural fan base shows a developing metropolis and a distinct affinity with black British popular culture. Arsenal has emerged as a potent emblem of an organic and convivial multiculture, both to decades of fielding legendary black players on the pitch and the historic and diverse traditions of its terraces. Black Arsenal is the first focused investigation of Arsenal's relationship with current Black identity and culture, beginning with indications in the late 1960s and culminating with the club's global success. The club's fondness for black identity extends beyond football and into other cultures, including the media, music, fashion, politics, and ordinary social encounters. Black Arsenal investigates how a new black iconography arose at Arsenal at significant points in British history, becoming critical to the construction of new forms of black identification. With contributions from former legends Ian Wright and Paul Davis, critical appraisals from Paul Gilroy, Gail Lewis, and Clive Chijioke Nwonka, and personal responses from Clive Palmer, Ezra Collective, Amy Lawrence, and others, Black Arsenal explores the moments, stories, and experiences that shaped Arsenal into an important and underappreciated aspect of modern Black British culture and identity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clive Chijioke Nwonka is a lecturer in film, Culture and Society at University College London's Institute of Advanced Studies. Nwonka's research focuses on the study of Black British and African American film, with a particular emphasis on images of Black urbanity and the ways in which representations of social environments and the hegemony of neoliberalism within forms of Black popular culture shape Black identities. His most recent book was Black Film British Cinema II (2021); his next book, Black Boys: The Social Aesthetics of British Urban Film, is due in 2023. Clive grew up in Brent and is a fan of Liverpool FC. Matthew Harle is a writer and curator from Islington, North London. His work explores cultural histories, cities and identity in books, exhibitions, and events. He has worked at the BFI, Barbican, and is now Curator of Artistic Programmes at the Warburg Institute. He attended his first Arsenal game in the 1993/4 season. 

Publisher: W&N
Published: August 29, 2024
Price: £35.00.00
ISBN-10: 1399613731
ISBN 13: 978-1399613736
Dimensions: 20.2 x 3.2 x 26.6 cm
Hardback: 320 pages