Barcelona & football

The contemporary trajectory of Barcelona cannot be explained without taking into account the impact of football: the exhibition overturns many clichés from the perspective of urban history. Football has contributed to the social construction of the city throughout the twentieth century: in the uses of public space, in internationalization, and in the economy; in the media, in local narratives, rivalries, Sunday habits, play and toys; in everyday life, in the construction of neighborhoods, and personal, collective and territorial identities.

In the recent past, football has become one of the most intensely globalized activities in the digital age, reaching the remotest corners of the planet. In the case of Barcelona, the economic, social, political, and cultural influence of professional football has had a growing and lasting influence on the image of the city, capital of Catalonia.

In the 21st century, will football also be an instrument of social cohesion in a more plural city as an urban game? When will there be full equality between women and men? How will the impact of the big clubs on the city and its external projection evolve? What role should public authorities play in this matter? Looking back can be a powerful incentive to think ahead...