Josh Bland

(He/him)

6

Articles

6

Comments

Dr. Josh Bland is a postdoctoral researcher at the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. His research specialisms are football fandom cultures, industrial heritage and critical heritage studies. His recently completed PhD project explored football fandom cultures as living heritage, and examined how football fandom may empower working-class communities to exercise cultural resilience against contexts of traumatic change.

He is Director of Research for Fair Game UK, a creative committee member at the National Football Museum and runs "Against the Run of Play", a heritage-focussed Substack. He has previously led a Curating London project on football and home at the Museum of London and worked as Director of Research for The Deep Creative.

Experience

  • –present
    ESRC-DTP PhD Researcher, University of Cambridge

Education

  • 2021 
    University of Cambridge, Heritage Studies

Publications

  • 2025
    The "Critical" Need for a Critical Heritage Studies of Sport, Journal of Sports History
  • 2024
    The Authenticity Problem: Authenticity as a Methodological Trap in People-Centred Research on Working-Class Football Supporting Communities, Archaeologies
  • 2023
    Finding Home in Football, Museum of London Report

Grants and Contracts

  • 2021
    ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership
    Role:
    PhD Researcher
    Funding Source:
    Economic and Social Research Council

Contact Josh for

  • General
  • Media request
  • Speaking request
  • Consulting / Advising
  • Research collaboration
  • Research supervision