ABSTRACT
The introduction to this edited volume addresses how the included chapters, both collectively and individually, illustrate the ways in which diasporic people foster a sense of belonging within their national and transnational ethnic communities through football/soccer. It also discusses the organizing theoretical framework for the volume, with chapters grouped into three principal, but overlapping areas. These include (1) community and representation, (2) transnational connections, and (3) diasporic claims. Each chapter is described and situated within this framework with the intention of demonstrating connections between diaspora and themes related to identities, politics, nationalism, and globalization. The brief review of thematic content across chapters establishes the multiplicity of ways in which diasporic minorities in different societies seek to gain national and cultural membership through the global game.
