Staff profile

Dr Ramon Spaaij

Senior Research Fellow

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

School of Social Sciences

Social Sciences Building 305, Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

MA (Leiden University), PhD (University of Amsterdam)

Membership of professional Associations

International Sociological Association; International Sociology of Sport Association; The Australian Sociological Association

Area of study

Anthropology
International Development
Sociology

Brief Profile

Ramón’s research interests include social and cultural aspects of sport, sport for development and peace (SDP), refugee settlement, social mobility, social exclusion, and terrorism and political violence. Ramón has taught in sociology, anthropology, management and political science at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Professional Involvements

  • Reviews Editor, Sport in Society (Routledge)
  • Member of Editorial Board, Sport in Society (Routledge)
  • Member of Editorial Board, Soccer and Society (Routledge)
  • Member and Research Fellow, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research
  • Member of Honorary Board of Scholars, International Football Institute, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom
  • Member of Advisory Board of Scholars, Partners of the Americas, Washington, D.C., United States
  • Honorary Research Fellow of Thesis Eleven Centre for Cultural Sociology
  • International Sociological Association
  • International Sociology of Sport Association

Research interests

Criminological Theories

- Terrorism

- Violence and hooliganism in sport

International Aid and Development

- Sport for development and peace (SDP)

Social and Cultural Anthropology

- sport, culture and society

- terrorism and political violence

- violence and hooliganism

Urban Sociology and Community Studies

- Sport, culture and society

Consulting

Spectator behaviour in sports; football hooliganism; sport for development and peace; terrorism; crowd and event management

Recent Publications

Books

  • Spaaij, R. and Burleson, C. (eds.) (2012) The Olympic Movement and the Sport of Peacemaking. New York and London: Routledge.
  • Spaaij, R. (2011) Sport and Social Mobility: Crossing Boundaries. New York and London: Routledge.
  • Spaaij, R. (2011) Understanding Lone Wolf Terrorism: Global Patterns, Motivations and Prevention. New York: Springer.
  • Spaaij, R. (ed.) (2010) The Social Impact of Sport: Cross-Cultural Perspectives. New York and London: Routledge.
  • Schaap, S., Rosenthal, U., Van Duin, M. and Spaaij, R. (2009) Veilige Evenementen (Safe Events). Amsterdam: Boom Legal Publishers.
  • Spaaij, R. (2008) Hooligans, Fans en Fanatisme (Hooligans, Fans and Fanaticism). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
  • Van der Torre, E., Spaaij, R. and Cachet, E. (2008) “Hoeveel Wordt het Vandaag?” Een Studie naar de Kans op Voetbalgeweld en het Veiligheidsbeleid bij Voetbalwedstrijden (What’s the Score? Violence and Crowd Management in Football). The Hague: Elsevier.
  • Spaaij, R. (2006) Understanding Football Hooliganism: A Comparison of Six Western European Football Clubs. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
  • Muller, E., Spaaij, R. and Ruitenberg, A. (2003) Trends in Terrorism. Alphen: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
  • Van der Torre, E. and Spaaij, R. (2003) Rotterdamse Hooligans: Aanwas, Gelegenheidsstructuren, Preventie (Rotterdam Hooligans: Growth, Opportunity Structures, Prevention). Alphen: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Refereed Journal Articles

  • Spaaij, R. (2012) 'Cultural Diversity in Community Sport: An Ethnographic Inquiry of Somali Australians' Experiences', Sport Management Review. [First published online, 13 July 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.smr.2012.06.003]
  • Spaaij, R. (2012) ‘Beyond the Playing Field: Experiences of Sport, Social Capital and Integration among Somalis in Australia’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 35(9): 1519-1538. [First published online, 11 July 2011, doi: 10.1080/01419870.2011.592205]
  • Spaaij, R. and Anderson, A. (2012) ‘Parents or Peers: Which is it? Sport Socialization and Team Identification in Australia: A Rejoinder to Melnick and Wann’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 47(4). [First published online, 29 July 2011, doi: 10.1177/1012690211416717]
  • Correa-Velez, I., Spaaij, R. and Upham, S. (2012) '"We Are Not Here to Claim Better Services Than Any Other": Social Exclusion among Men from Refugee Backgrounds in Urban and Regional Australia', Journal of Refugee Studies. [First published online, 4 May 2012, doi: 10.1093/jrs/fes003]
  • Spaaij, R. and Jeanes, R. (2012) 'Education for Social Change? A Freirean Critique of Sport for Development and Peace', Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. [First published online, 10 July 2012, doi: 10.1080/17408989.2012.690378]
  • Spaaij, R. (2012) ‘Olympic Rings of Peace? The Olympic Movement, Peacemaking and Intercultural Understanding’, Sport in Society, 15(6). [First published online, 24 July 2012, doi: 10.1080/17430437.2012.708279]
  • Spaaij, R. and Burleson, C. (2012) 'London 2012 and Beyond: Reflections on Peacemaking, Sport and the Olympic Movement', Sport in Society, 15(6).
  • Spaaij, R. (2012) 'Building Social and Cultural Capital among Young People in Disadvantaged Communities: Lessons from a Brazilian Sport-based Intervention Program', Sport, Education and Society, 17(1): 77-95.
  • Kay, T. and Spaaij, R. (2012) ‘The Mediating Effects of Family on Sport in International Development Contexts’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 47(1): 77-94.
  • Hughson, J. and Spaaij, R. (2011) ‘You Are Always on Our Mind’: The Hillsborough Tragedy as Cultural Trauma’, Acta Sociologica, 54(3): 283-295.
  • Spaaij, R. and Geilenkirchen, M. (2011) ‘Ta(l)king Sides: Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Comparative Fieldwork on Avid Football Rivalries’, Soccer and Society, 12(5): 633-651.
  • Spaaij, R. (2011) ‘The Changing Face of Far-Right Terrorism: Norway and Beyond’, Re-public: Re-imagining Democracy, December.
  • Spaaij, R. (2011) ‘Mindless Thugs Running Riot? Mainstream, Alternative and Online Media Representations of Football Crowd Violence’, Media International Australia, 140: 126-136.
  • Spaaij, R. and Anderson, A. (2010) ‘Psychosocial Influences on Children’s Identification with Sports Teams: A Case Study of Australian Rules Football Supporters’, Journal of Sociology, 46(3): 299-315.
  • Spaaij, R. (2010) ‘The Enigma of Lone Wolf Terrorism: An Assessment’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 33(9): 854-870.
  • Spaaij, R. and Anderson, A. (2010) ‘Soccer Fan Violence: A Holistic Approach’, International Sociology, 25(4): 561-579.
  • Spaaij, R. and Westerbeek, H. (2010) ‘Sport Business and Social Capital: A Contradiction in Terms?’, Sport in Society, 13(9): 1359-1376.
  • Spaaij, R. (2010) ‘Using Recreational Sport for Social Mobility of Urban Youth: Practices, Challenges and Dilemmas’, Sociétés et Jeunesses en Difficulté, 9: 1-26.
  • Spaaij, R. (2009) ‘Sport as a Vehicle for Social Mobility and Regulation of Disadvantaged Urban Youth: Lessons from Rotterdam’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 44(2): 247-264.
  • Spaaij, R. (2009) ‘The Social Impact of Sport: Diversities, Complexities and Contexts’, Sport in Society, 12(9): 1101-1109.
  • Spaaij, R. (2009) ‘The Glue that Holds the Community Together? Sport and Sustainability in Rural Australia’, Sport in Society, 12(9): 1124-1138.
  • Spaaij, R. (2009) ‘Personal and Social Change through Sport: Cross-Cutting Themes’, Sport in Society, 12(9): 1257-1260.
  • Spaaij, R. (2008) ‘Men Like Us, Boys Like Them: Violence, Masculinity, and Collective Identity in Football Hooliganism’, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 32(4): 369-392.
  • Spaaij, R. (2008) ‘“Je Leeft er Soms al Weken naar toe”: Vergelijkend Onderzoek naar Voetbalgerelateerd Geweld’ (Comparative Research into Football-Related Violence), Tijdschrift voor Criminologie (Netherlands Journal of Criminology), 50(3): 337-349.
  • Spaaij, R. (2007) ‘Football Hooliganism as a Transnational Phenomenon: Past and Present Analysis: A Critique – Less Generality and More Specificity’, International Journal of the History of Sport, 24(4): 411-431.
  • Spaaij, R. (2007) ‘Football Hooliganism in the Netherlands: Patterns of Continuity and Change’, Soccer & Society, 8(2): 316-334.
  • Spaaij, R. (2007) ‘Supportersgeweld rond voetbalwedstrijden: collectieve identiteit, sociale organisatie en groepsprocessen’ (Spectator Violence at Soccer Matches: Collective Identity, Social Organisation and Group Processes), GROEPEN: Tijdschrift voor groepsdynamica en groepspsychotherapie, 2(3): 9-20.
  • Spaaij, R. (2006) ‘Aspects of Hooligan Violence: A Reappraisal of Sociological Research into Football Hooliganism’, ASSR Working Paper Series, 6(2): 1-42.
  • Viñas, C. and Spaaij, R. (2006) ‘Medidas y políticas acerca del racismo y la xenofobia en el fútbol español’ (Measures and Policies Targeting Racism and Xenophobia in Spanish Soccer), Sistema, 192: 51-76.
  • Spaaij, R. and Viñas, C. (2005) ‘A Por Ellos: Racism and Anti-Racism in Spanish Football’, International Journal of Iberian Studies, 18(3): 141-164.
  • Spaaij, R. and Viñas, C. (2005) ‘Passion, Politics and Violence: A Socio-Historical Analysis of Spanish Ultras’, Soccer & Society, 6(1): 79-96.

Book Chapters

  • Spaaij, R. (in press 2012) ‘Sport and Social Policy’, in J. Maguire (ed.) Handbook of the Social Sciences and Sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
  • Spaaij, R. (2012) ‘Sport’, in P. Beilharz and T. Hogan (eds) Sociology: Antipodean Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 347-352.
  • Spaaij, R. (in press 2012) ‘The Football Laboratory: Policing Football Supporters in the Netherlands’, in D. Mastrogiannakis and C. Dorville (eds.) Risk Management and Sport Events. Paris: Le Manuscrit.
  • Spaaij, R. and Westerbeek, H. (2009) ‘A Healthy Active Australia? Sport and Health Policy in Australia’, in H. Westerbeek (ed.) Using Sport to Advance Community Health: An International Perspective, Nieuwegein: Arko Sports Media, pp.59-91.
  • Spaaij, R. (2008) ‘De Voetbalsupporter in de Technologische Proeftuin’ (The Football Fan in the Technological Laboratory), in Prins, C., Van den Berg, M. and Ham, M. (eds) In de Greep van de Technologie, Amsterdam: Van Gennep, pp.99-119.
  • Spaaij, R. (2008) ‘Simpatías y emociones de las barras bravas en el fútbol’ (Sociability and Emotions in Football Fan Groups), in C.V. Kaplan (ed.) La civilización en cuestión: Escritos inspirados en la obra de Norbert Elias, Buenos Aires: Miño y D’Avila, pp.117-132.
  • Spaaij, R. (2008) ‘Football Hooliganism in the Netherlands’, in S. Brown (ed.) Football Fans around the World: From Supporters to Fanatics, London: Routledge, pp.154-172.
  • Spaaij, R. (2007) ‘Voetbalvandalisme en Beleid: Macht en Verantwoordelijkheid van Politie en Voetbalclubs’ (Football Violence and Public Policy: Power and Accountability of Police and Football Clubs), in J.W. Duyvendak, G. Engbersen, M. Teeuwen and I. Verhoeven (eds) Macht en Verantwoordelijkheid. Essays voor Kees Schuyt, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp.302-311.
  • Spaaij, R. (2007) ‘Geweld in de Sport’ (Violence in Sport), in S. Nuijten, M. van Schendel and J. Janssens (eds) Jaarboek Sport, Beleid en Onderzoek, Nieuwegein: ARKO Sports Media, pp.133-135.
  • Spaaij, R. (2006) ‘Football Hooliganism as a Transnational Phenomenon: Issues and Responses’, in Aquesolo, J. and Fernández Truan, J.C. (eds) Sport and Violence, Seville: UPO Press, pp.361-369.

Research projects

As a researcher, Ramón specialises in social and cultural aspects and impacts of sport, notably in areas of social mobility, violence, hooliganism, racism, social capital, belonging and social exclusion. He also researches terrorism and political violence. His current research projects include:

  1. Sport and social exclusion in global society
  2. Social and cultural diversity in sport
  3. Lone wolf terrorism
  4. Sport and violence
  5. Social mobility through sport