ABSTRACT
Rabinovich’s contribution rehearses Slavoj Zizek’s concept of ideological fantasy to argue that Argentine football (soccer) culture, read as a key popular culture text, effectively stages a return to the Real of desire. Through an analysis of fan behavior at live games, club team identifications, and football coaching philosophies, Rabinovich illustrates the particular articulation of Imaginary and Symbolic investments and identifications that shapes the nation’s collective reality and its paths to jouissance.
