Staff profile

Emma has worked at Durham since 1999, when she was recruited to help develop the newly-launched sport degree programmes. She was previously a Teaching and Research Assistant in Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University, where she obtained her PhD.

Her doctoral research involved an analysis of the construction and representations of national identity in the media coverage of the 1996 European Football Championships. This research interest developed to examine the media representations of English football fans and 'hooligans'.

Over the last few years, Emma's research has focused upon antisemitism and Jewish identity within the context of English football. Her expertise on antisemitism in football has been recognised through several Invited Key Notes at international conferences.

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=kDZjiKsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

PhD Students

Emma welcomes enquiries from prospective research students in the areas of: antisemitism and football / sport; Jewish identity and football / sport; and discrimination and hate crime in sport, particularly within football fan cultures.

• Antisemitism in football
• Football, policy and social justice
• Football-related disorder
• Media representation of football-related disorder/fan cultures
• Sport and national identity
• Sociology of sport

• 2000: Senior Fellowship of Higher Education Authority: Higher Education Academy
• 2000: INVITED KEY NOTE: Poulton, E. (2018) Antisemitism in Football: Similarities and Differences within European Fan Cultures. Presented at ‘Football: Politics of the Global Game 2018’ International Conference, University of Warsaw, Poland (15-16 November 2018).
• 2000: INVITED KEY NOTE: Poulton, E. (2015) Understanding Antisemitism and the Contested Uses and Meanings of ‘Yid’ in English Football: A Case Study of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Anne Frank House International Conference on Tackling anti-Semitism in Professional Football @ Amsterdam Arena, The Netherlands.
• 2000: INVITED KEY NOTE: Poulton, E. (2018) Collective Identity and Forms of Abuse and Discrimination in Football Fan Culture. Presented at ‘The Beautiful Game? Identity, Resentment, and Discrimination in Football and Fans Cultures’ International Conference, Berlin (12-13 April 2018).

Chapter in book

• Poulton, E. (2014). Having the Balls: Reflections on Doing Gendered Research with Football Hooligans. In K. Lumsden, & A. Winter (Eds.), Reflexivity in criminological research : experiences with the powerful and powerless (77-89). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137379405.0011
• Poulton, E. (2014). The Hooligan Film Factory: Football Violence in High Definition. In M. Hopkins, & J. Treadwell (Eds.), Hooliganism, Crime and Crowd Management: Contemporary Perspectives in Relation to Research and Theory (154-175). Palgrave Macmillan
• Poulton, E. (2011). Fantasy Football Hooliganism in Popular Culture. In R. Giulianotti (Ed.), Sociology of Sport,Four-Volume Set. SAGE Publications
• Poulton, E. (2010). Football Hooliganism. In B. Fischer, & S. Lab (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. SAGE Publications
• Poulton, E., & Roderick, M. (2008). Introducing Sport in Films. In E. Poulton,, & M. Roderick (Eds.), Sport in Films (xviii-xxvii). Routledge
• Poulton, E. (2007). Don't Mention the War? The English Press Reporting of the 2006 World Cup. In T. Horky (Ed.), Die Fuβball-Weltmeisterschaft 2006: Analysen zum Mediensport. Hertsellung und Verlag: Books on Demand GmbH
• Poulton, E. (2002). On the Press Pack Stereotype Hunt. In M. Perryman (Ed.), Going Oriental: Football After World Cup 2002 (102-118). Mainstream
• Poulton, E. (2001). Tears, Tantrums and Tattoos: Framing the Hooligans. In M. Perryman (Ed.), Hooligan Wars: Causes and Effects of Football Violence (122-138). Mainstream
• Poulton, E. (1999). 'Fighting Talk from the Press Corps'. In M. Perryman (Ed.), The Ingerland Factor: Home Thoughts from Football (119-136). Mainstream

Conference Paper

• Poulton, E. (2015, December). Understanding Antisemitism and the Contested Uses and Meanings of ‘Yid’ in English Football: A Case Study of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Paper presented at Anne Frank House International Conference on Tackling anti-Semitism in Professional Football, Amsterdam Arena, The Netherlands
• Poulton, E. (2014, December). Antisemitism in English Football: A Case Study of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Paper presented at Political Studies Association’s ‘Sport and Politics’ 8th Annual Conference, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
• Poulton, E. (2012, December). The Representation of Social Issues and Identities in Sport-related British Films. Paper presented at Shooting Stars: Sports in Films, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France
• Poulton, E., & Durell, O. (2012, December). Epithet or Endearment? Uses of the 'Y-Word' in Football Fan Culture: A Case Study of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Paper presented at World Congress for the International Sociology of Sport Association, Glasgow, Scotland
• Poulton, E. (2006, June). 'Don't Mention the War!' How the English Press Frame Their Fans in World Cup 2006. Paper presented at Football, Media and Everyday Life, University of Leipzig, Germany
• Poulton, E. (2003, December). English Media versus Turkey at Football, Fans, Media Representation and Disorder: Towards Euro 2000 - Perspective and Solutions from the UK and Turkey
• Poulton, E. (1998, December). National Identity Politics in the English Media Coverage of Euro 96. Presented at Third Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science

Edited book

• Poulton, E., & Roderick, M. (Eds.). (2008). Sport in Films. Routledge

Journal Article

• Poulton, E. (2023). “What have 6 million dead people got to do with football?”: How Anglo-Jewish football supporters experience and respond to antisemitism and “banter”. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 47(10), 2012-2035. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2023.2259447
• Poulton, E. (2020). Tackling antisemitism within English football: a critical analysis of policies and campaigns using a multiple streams approach. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 12(1), 25-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2019.1673789
• Poulton, E., & Durell, O. (2016). Uses and meanings of ‘Yid’ in English football fandom: A case study of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 51(6), 715-734. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690214554844
• Poulton, E. (2016). Towards Understanding: Antisemitism and the Contested Uses and Meanings of ‘Yid’ in English Football. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 39(11), 1981-2001. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2016.1140791
• Poulton, E. (2013). The Culture of Production Behind the (Re)Production of Football Hooligan Culture. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 28(4), 770-784. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2013.794195
• Poulton, E. (2012). If You Had Balls, You'd Be One of Us!' Doing Gendered Research: Methodological Reflections on Being a Female Academic Researcher in the Hyper-Masculine Subculture of 'Football Hooliganism. Sociological Research Online, 17(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.2717
• Poulton, E., & Maguire, J. (2012). Plastic or Fantastic Brits? Identity Politics and English Media Representations of ‘Team GB’ during London 2012. JOMEC Journal: Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, 1(2), 1-30
• Poulton, E. (2012). Not Another Football Hooligan Story"? Learning From Narratives of ‘True Crime’ and Desistance'. The Internet journal of criminology, 2012, 1-20
• ‘Equipo GB’ durante los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres 2012
• Poulton, E. (2008). Toward a Cultural Sociology of the Consumption of 'Fantasy Football Hooliganism'. Sociology of Sport Journal, 25(3), 331-349
• Poulton, E., & Roderick, M. (2008). Introducing Sport in Films. Sport in Society, 11(2/3), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430430701823349
• Hughson, J., & Poulton, E. (2008). 'This is England': Sanitized Fandom and the National Soccer Team. Soccer and Society, 9(4), 509-519. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970802257572
• Poulton, E., & Roderick, M. (2008). Sport in Society
• Hughson, J., & Poulton, E. (2007). 'Only Genuine Fans Need Apply': An Organisational Analysis of the English Football Association's Response to Football Supporter Stereotypes. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2(1/2), 69-82. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijsmm.2007.011391
• Poulton, E. (2006). Lights, Camera, Aggro!' Readings of 'Celluloid Hooliganism. Sport in Society, 9(3), 403-426. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430430600673431
• Poulton, E. (2006). 'Barbarians, Gentlemen and the Press': English Media Representations of England's Football and Rugby Union Supporters
• Poulton, E. (2005). English Media Representation of Football-Related Disorder: 'Brutal, Short-hand and Simplifying'?. Sport in Society, 8(1), 27-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743043052000316605
• Poulton, E. (2004). Mediated Patriot Games: The Construction and Representation of National Identities in the British Television Production of Euro 96. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 39(4), 437-455. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690204049072
• Poulton, E. (2003). 'Fantasy Football Hooliganism' in Popular Media. Media, Culture and Society, 29(1), 151-164. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443706072003
• Poulton, E. (2003). New Fans, New Flag, New England? Changing News Values in the English Press coverage of World Cup 2002
• Maguire, J., Poulton, E., & Possamai, C. (1999). Weltkreig III? Media Coverage of England Versus Germany in Euro 96. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 23(1), 439-454
• Maguire, J., & Poulton, E. (1999). European Identity Politics in Euro 96: Invented Traditions and National Habitus Codes. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 34(1), 17-29
• Maguire, J., Poulton, E., & Possamai, C. (1999). The War of the Words? Identity Politics in Anglo-German Press Coverage of Euro 96. European Journal of Communication, 15(1), 61-89

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Poulton, E. (2013). Tackle antisemitism, not the ‘Yid Army’ chants

Presentation

• Poulton, E. (2014, September). 'Yid' as an Epithet and Term of Endearment in English Football: A Case Study of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Paper presented at Taboo II Conference., Durham University, Durham, UK