Mariann Vaczi, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor; Director of Graduate Studies
Mariann Vaczi

Summary

Mariann Vaczi completed her Ph.D. in Basque Studies and Anthropology in 2013. As an anthropologist and sociologist, she focuses on sport, physical culture and the body from social, political and cultural perspectives. Her particular interest is the politics of the body, sport and performance genres in various sub-national contexts. Her main work includes Soccer, Culture and Society in Spain: An Ethnography of Basque Fandom (Routledge 2015) and Sport and Secessionism (co-editor, Routledge 2020).

Research interests

  • Modern and traditional sports
  • Festival, folk, ritual and performance genres
  • The body
  • Death and dying
  • Gender and sexuality
  • Nationalisms and independence movements

Courses taught

  • Sport & Society from a Global Perspective
  • Basque Culture Online

Publications

  • Soccer, Culture and Society in Spain: An Ethnography of Basque Fandom (Routledge 2015).
  • Sport and Secessionism (co-editor, Routledge 2020).
  • "Corporeal Performance in Contemporary Ethnonationalist Movements: The Changing Body Politic of Basque and Catalan Secessionism" in Social Anthropology (2021).
  • "The tug of war of nationalisms: Agonic Sports for Basque-Spanish Relations" in Sport and Secessionism (2020).
  • "Football, the beast, and the sovereign: The politics of joking relationships in Spain." Ethnos 83, no. 4 (2018): 706-723.
  • "Catalonia's human towers: Nationalism, associational culture, and the politics of performance." American Ethnologist 43, no. 2 (2016): 353-368.
  • "Dangerous liaisons, fatal women: The fear and fantasy of soccer wives and girlfriends in Spain." International Review for the Sociology of Sport 51, no. 3 (2016): 299-313.
  • "'The Spanish Fury': A political geography of soccer in Spain." International Review for the Sociology of Sport 50, no. 2 (2015): 196-210.
  • "Death in the Cathedral: mortuary practices in sport stadiums." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 20, no. 4 (2014): 635-652.

Education

  • Ph.D., Basque Studies and Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno, 2013
  • M.A., English and American Studies, ELTE University, Budapest, 2006
  • M.A., Sociology and Social Anthropology, Central European University, Budapest, 2005
  • B.A., Anthropology, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania 2004