On February 26, the Football Scholars Forum, based in the MSU History Department, held an online discussion of Todd Cleveland’s recent book, Following the Ball: The Migration of African Soccer Players across the Portuguese Colonial Empire, 1949-1975. Cleveland (History, Univ. of Arkansas), explained his use of archival and oral sources, and reconstructed how African soccer migrants, despite enormous challenges, found ways to negotiate a better life for themselves in Portugal.
Then on March 26, FSF welcomed Rachel Allison (Sociology, Mississippi State), for a discussion of her new book titled, Kicking Center: Gender and the Selling of Women’s Professional Soccer. The conversation delved into the team at the heart of the narrative, its social context and audiences, and also explored the role of race, class, gender, sexuality, and media in women’s pro soccer.
For audio recordings of the sessions, visit the FSF website here.