Sing for the Oil City! A conversation about supporter culture and identity

The oil age is drawing to a close, and at Stavanger City Hall, the talk is of green energy and a renewable future—all in an effort to brand the city. But in the supporter culture surrounding league champions Viking, there are no songs about wind power or zero-emission facilities. Several of the songs about the city and Viking delve deep into oil itself. From Felt O to Jåttåvågen, Viking fans sing boastfully about oil, much like the World Cup songs about the national team proudly invoke their Viking heritage.

It exudes national, regional and local pride.

At the same time, there is a class perspective at play here: “Us against the rest of the world.” Is it mostly tongue-in-cheek, or is it deadly serious?

Journalist and author Knut Gjerseth Olsen is joined by Red Party politician and fellow supporter Mímir Kristjánsson and Rune Edvardsen from Felt O to discuss football supporter culture as a way of communicating class and politics. We will round off Friday evening at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum with a sing-along.

Panel: Knut Gjerseth Olsen, Mímir Kristjánsson and Viking’s supporters’ club. Trude Meland, a researcher at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, will moderate the discussion.

The event is free and is part of the Research Days in Stavanger, 16–26 September, and is a collaboration between Kapittel and the Norwegian Petroleum Museum.

Free tickets will be made available on the Norwegian Petroleum Museum’s website. Admission to the museum is also free from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.