Subculturalisation/tribalisation as a social process: The Yugoslav 1980s and the roots of the ultras subculture in Croatia

Abstract

As opposed to the discourse marking the division between the subculturalists and the post-subculturalists, we hold that subculturalisation and tribalisation are essentially the same social process. The process within which the Croatian ultras subculture was formed, took place from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. Nationalism and violence are broadly acknowledged as the main features of this new subcultural style in socialist Yugoslavia. However, to fully understand the process it is necessary to study broader spectrum of influences and relationships between actors on the social scene. Therefore we put emphasis on the interaction between football supporters and subcultural styles founded on rock and similar genres of music. This interaction proved to be crucial in anti-establishment and anti-mainstream sensibilities of the emerging football supporter scene. This is particularly important while these sensibilities have remained one of basic characteristics of the ultras subculture in modern Croatia.