"They Learn Turkish Identity in the Stadium"

 Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, November 23, 2015

Ibrahim Ramazani, author of "The Tractor Rebellion – The Stand of Turkish Nationalism in Iran", spoke to Voice of America.

"The word rebellion means crossing red lines. One of the most important red lines for the Iranian government is territorial integrity, and today, the supporters of Tractor have started crossing this red line with the slogans they shout," said researcher Ibrahim Ramazani in an interview with Voice of America regarding his newly published book "The Tractor Rebellion – The Stand of Turkish Nationalism in Iran", which was published in Istanbul.

In his book "The Tractor Rebellion", which was published by Doğu Kütüphanesi Publications, Ramazani discusses not only the impact of the Tractor Sazi football team and its influence on Iranian and South Azerbaijani Turkish nationalism but also addresses issues such as national identity, ethnic identity, assimilation, the understanding of identity among Turks in Iran, and feminism, bringing these topics into the spotlight through football.

Ramazani points out the significant role played by Tractor in the national movement in South Azerbaijan, mentioning that Tractor fans exist not only in cities in Iranian Azerbaijan but also in other regions where Turks live, including Fars and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces.

He also addresses some criticisms he received about the title of his book, explaining his choice of the title:

"Some friends said the word 'rebellion' has a negative connotation... But the word rebellion means to resist, to cross red lines. One of the most important red lines for the Iranian government is territorial integrity, and today, Tractor supporters, with the slogans they shout in the stadium, have begun to cross this red line... Why did I write 'Turks in Iran'? When I went to the stadium, Turks from Shiraz, from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, came. I met with them, talked to them, and I used 'Turks in Iran' as an inclusive term."

"Today, our nation lives in a difficult situation, under insult and discrimination, and they express it in the stadiums," he points out, referring to the nature of the slogans shouted by Tractor fans in the stadiums.

A graduate of the sociology department at Hacettepe University, Ramazani conducted field research during Tractor Sazi games by going to the stadium. He met with various fan groups, including women, elderly supporters, and a group known as "TTTT."

Tractor Rebellion - The Stand of Turkish Nationalism in Iran

In his book, Ibrahim Ramazani highlights the restrictions imposed on football-loving women in Iran, particularly their prohibition from entering stadiums. He also touches upon the topic of Feminist Theory and Sports in the Sociological Theories in Sports section of the book.

The researcher, who lives in Ankara, also mentions a group of fans who call themselves "Tifosi of Tractor Team (TTTT)," a group that does not chant national slogans like the other fans. This group named itself after Italian football supporters. "Tifosi" in Italian means "fans."

"The Tifosi supporters are known as part of Ettelat. I met with them, got information, and spoke to the leaders... In the fieldwork, I saw that the number of people shouting their slogans didn’t even reach fifty. They didn’t repeat their slogans... Other supporters shout slogans about identity, but the Tifosi don’t," the author explains.

The Tractor Rebellion – The Stand of Turkish Nationalism in Iran is not solely dedicated to Tractor and sports. The book also provides information about significant social and political movements in the modern history of Iranian Azerbaijan.

"I wanted to explain to the Turkish reader that this movement is not new, that it has a history," says Ibrahim Ramazani, explaining why he included historical events in the book.

"Tractor has opened a way for other ethnicities in terms of protest environments. They see that reactions against the government can be expressed in the stadiums here. Tractor has contributed something important to the movement. People can't gather elsewhere. Some supporters say the stadium has been like a school for us, we didn’t know what it meant to be Turkish... Many people learn Turkish identity in the stadiums..." adds Ibrahim Ramazani.


Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Ibrahim Ramazani: “Onlar türklüyü stadionda öyrənir”