Being Brummie: Football, Faith and Fighting Division in Birmingham

Recent violent attacks in the UK have reignited latent fears amongst immigrant and diaspora communities, particularly in multicultural cities like Birmingham with a long history of racial tensions. As in the past, the far right is attempting to use football culture as a divisive tool to create an 'us versus them' narrative. In Birmingham, however, football is claimed by more than one kind of demographic, and football culture can play just as powerful a role in unifying communities as it does in dividing them. 

This intersection of race relations and football is the focus of a project led by PhD researcher Hijab Shah, entitled ‘Being Brummie: Football and Race Relations in the Second City.’ 

The project consists of a podcast documentary series by the same name, the first episode of which explores the history of immigration into Birmingham and the stories of a generation of football-mad Brummies who grew up in the 60s and 70s, when racial tensions were at their peak. Listen to Episode 1 here.

The ‘Being Brummie’ project also hosted a panel event at The Exchange in February entitled ‘Football, Flags, and the Far Right: Politics and Race Relations in Birmingham.’ As a follow-up to the panel event, the project is partnering up with the University of Birmingham and the Birmingham Race Impact Group to host the ‘Being Brummie Salon Sessions,’ a series of intimate, community-focused events hosted at the BRIG Cafe.  

We would love for you to join the first Being Brummie Salon Session at the BRIG Cafe on Saturday, 7 March, 5:45 PM - 8:00 PM, for an Iftar and panel discussion on Islamophobia and football in Birmingham. Please register here.