My doctoral research project examines organised gatherings of minorities, taking the Europeada, a football tournament for autochtonous national minorities in Europe, as its primary site of investigation. It explores the Europeada as a complex arena of identity negotiation, minority politics, economic interests, and ideological discourse. The Europeada is officially presented as a space for exchange and interaction among minority communities centered around a popular sport. On its official website, three guiding principles are outlined: connecting minorities, making minorities visible, and strengthening minority regions.[1]
The idea for this championship originated in 2008 in the canton of Graubünden. It all began with an ideas competition organised by Switzerland Tourism, in which the Surselva region proposed a football tournament aimed at bringing together linguistic minorities from across Europe while presenting itself as a culturally diverse, cosmopolitan, and innovative region.[2] The proposal impressed the jury and was awarded first prize. It subsequently received strong support from local economic and political stakeholders. Since that first edition, the tournament has gradually expanded, with later editions held in Italy, Austria, Germany, and Denmark. It now brings together 24 men’s teams and 9 women’s teams, comprising more than 1,000 participants. The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), the largest umbrella organisation representing autochthonous national minorities, nationalities and linguistic groups in Europe, coordinates the championship in collaboration with local organisers. The tournament is held every four years in parallel with the UEFA European Championship.
Drawing on a qualitative research design that combines historiographical and document analysis, ethnographic observation, and interviews with founders, organisers and participants, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of why (linguistic) minorities come together to compete, exchange ideas and share experiences. Particular attention is given to the role of the Romansh community, especially the experiences of Romansh participants as they come together and compete against other minorities in the context of a major sporting event. The study examines the role of language in shaping internal team dynamics within the Romansh delegation, as well as interactions between different linguistic communities. It further seeks to acquire a more nuanced account of the different interests at stake, and investigates the extent to which the event holds not only symbolic value, but also economic and political significance.
Initial analyses have focused on discourses of solidarity and differentiation at multiple interconnected levels: between minoritised communities and the majority society, among different minorities, and within a single minority. Across these levels, the findings show that the ideal of unity is consistently produced through and accompanied by acts of differentiation. Minorities collectively position themselves against majorities, while internal hierarchies, selective solidarities, and moral distinctions emerge both between and within minority groups. An examination of player selection processes within the Romansh delegation deepens the analysis of the intra-minority level, where broader processes of boundary-making become tangible. In particular, linguistic competence in Romansh functions as a marker of belonging, legitimises participation, and produces internal distinctions. Decisions about who qualifies as ‘Romansch enough’ illustrate how belonging is situationally defined and constantly (re)negotiated.[3] Situated at the intersection of sport, culture, and politics, the Europeada not only promotes exchange among minoritised communities but also operates as a strategic space in which boundaries of belonging, cultural norms, and social differences are continuously constructed.
[1] Europeada, official website, URL: https://europeada.eu.
[2] churermagazin, Die Europeada stimmt die Bündner Fussballfans auf die Euro 08 ein, URL: https://www.churermagazin.ch/pages/archive/200806/sport.pdf.
[3] The analysis is guided by the theoretical framework of Susan Gal and Judith Irvine, particularly their concepts of axes of differentiation, iconisation, fractal recursivity, and erasure, as well as by Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of embodied cultural capital and the linguistic market.
Irvine, J. T., & Gal, S. (2000). Language ideology and linguistic differentiation. In P. V. Kroskrity (Ed.), Regimes of language: Ideologies, polities, and identities. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press, 35–84.
Gal, S., & Irvine, J. T. (2019). Signs of difference: Language and ideology in social life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1977): « L’économie des échanges linguistiques ». Langue française 34(1):17–34.
Bourdieu, P. (1979): « Les trois états du capital culturel ». Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales 30(1):3–6.