Eurovision Research Articles

‘Are you ready for a little chat?’1: Creating and developing WhatsApp group chats as a digital research method

AbstractThis paper explores how social media ‘group chats’ were developed and applied as a digital research method. Group chats were created using the social media platform WhatsApp to investigate issues regarding Eurovision Song Contest fan practices and their intersection with the expression of sexual identity. I argue that group chats advance our understandings of traditional focus group and remote research methods in geography. Group chats do this by providing opportunities to conduct remote research with multiple groups of people. They are also mobile, temporal, provide additional digital tools for users to express their identity, and help to improve data capture and understanding of social processes. This research highlights the benefits and disadvantages of using group chats as a digital method in terms of their organisation, delivery, data collection and analysis. Benefits include that they are mobile and instantly accessible, they can co‐ordinate groups of people who are geographically disparate, they can take place over a period of time rather than being a ‘one‐off’ event, they remove the barriers of face‐to‐face communication that produce social anxiety, and they enable the capture of multidimensional forms of data, including images, text and GIFs. Disadvantages include missing out on and recontextualising data when absent from a group chat temporarily, and limited data output from and dynamism between participants who were unavailable for long periods. I explore how applying group chats as a digital research method challenges and blurs the distinctions between the personal, the researcher and the researched, and how they can also be reaffirmed in direct messaging spaces where participants flirt with the researcher. Lastly, this paper considers the future potentials of using group chats and social media platforms, like WhatsApp, to understand the socio‐digital practices around live music events.

Grey people in an ordinary world: Navigating the politics of migration at the Eurovision Song Contest

Grey people in an ordinary world: Navigating the politics of migration at the Eurovision Song Contest

Foreign portfolio investments and voting bias in the Eurovision Song Contest

We investigate the role played by the voting bias in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in explaining international bilateral portfolio investments. Our analysis reveals that the voting bias in the ESC score significantly helps explain bilateral portfolio investments but only for non-professional investors, while no systematic effect is found for financial companies’ holdings. Our results undergo robustness checks related to changes in the voting system and to the inclusion of standard static indicators of cultural distance. Moreover, for non-professional investors, the effect of voting bias is larger for debt than for equities: it is consistent with an affinity/animosity bias directed to target foreign governments and then reflected in sovereign debt holdings. Our analysis highlights that financial decision making, especially for less sophisticated investors, may be driven not only by static economic and cultural proximity, but also by less predictable time-varying national subjective feelings.

Militarization and popular culture in the shadow of war: the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest

Abstract What is the political role of cultural mega-events in the context of ongoing war? The article examines the interaction between cultural mega-events and militarization processes in the shadow of war. It addresses two main gaps: the lack of attention to the politics of such events during war, and the specific understanding of militarization usually adopted by popular culture scholars. It examines the development of material and symbolic forms of militarization, and addresses the impact of the commercial logic behind mega-events on the intensification and normalization of militarized practices. Empirically, the article focuses on the different militarization processes that developed in and through the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It examines how these play out in Ukraine (through the militarization of the band Kalush Orchestra and the militarization of the Ukrainian song ‘Stefania’), within the Eurovision contest itself and across Europe (through its participation in the competition). In doing so it also contributes to the broader debate about the changing security identity of Europe, and the development of a new militarized liberal European identity. Using data from social media, the article also highlights the role of such platforms in militarization processes.

The Politics of Eurovision: A Case Study of the United Kingdom’s 2021 and 2022 Participations as Expressed on Social Media

In recent years, the opinion that the Eurovision Song Contest has become highly politicised is prevalent in the media and the popular voice, although not much research exists that can attest to this claim. In this work we conduct a case study that applies sentiment and discourse analysis methodologies to the assessment of political opinions in social media regarding this artistic and social event. The main objective is to explore to what extent and in what form this supposed politicisation has an expression on Twitter, as illustrated by the cases of artists Sam Ryder and James Newman, the United Kingdom’s representatives in the 2022 and 2021 editions of the contest, respectively. We examine references to two historical-political contexts that have had a severe impact on the European society over the last few years, and which have determined, among many other social aspects, the reception of Eurovision results ever since they took place: Brexit and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Strawpeople of Russian, Eastern European, and Soviet History in English-Language TV and Film

Abstract This special issue features historical scholars of imperial Russia and the Soviet Union analyzing representations of Russian and East European characters and history in contemporary Anglophone television and films, such as The Americans, Black Widow, The Great, For All Mankind, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. They identify several tropes that shore up Anglosphere conceptions of progressiveness, liberalism, feminism, and even whiteness in ways that put pressure on geopolitics today, which some have characterized as a second Cold War. Gender and sexuality are dominant themes through which difference between the West and Eastern Europe is commonly staged onscreen. Debate emerges on whether this is a return to twentieth-century thinking or a new vision of Russian and East European otherness.

Lion of Love

Abstract Alexander Lemtov, the Russian antagonist of Netflix's 2020 musical comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, embodies and dramatizes contentions over Russian homophobia, disavowals of homosexuality in Russian entertainment, and the construction of LGBTQ+ equality as a defining value of ‘European’ space which have surrounded the real-life Eurovision Song Contest since the mid-2000s. An assertively-heterosexual sex symbol in public, Lemtov in private exemplifies the trope of the closeted gay entertainer whose performances of machismo allow him to hide his admiration for the male body in plain sight. His depiction could potentially open space for exploring how other queer male Russian entertainers have historically negotiated homophobia but is constrained within a liberal sexual geopolitics that demands further recontextualization following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Towards a sociology of recurrent events. Constellations of cultural change around Eurovision in 18 countries (1981–2021)

Sociologists usually conceptualize events as unexpected occurrences bringing about long-lasting transformations of social structures. Following this definition, most empirical studies of events focus on pre/post-measurement strategies. Yet not all events are unexpected (e.g., Eurovision, Oscar nominations, the Olympics). Moreover, pre/post-measurements cannot capture the temporality in which meaning-making processes unfold nor account for the overlap between various events. We address these shortcomings by introducing the concept of ‘recurrent events,’ defined as events occurring with regular and recurrent cadence, charging collective effervescence and anticipation among audiences. Drawing from resonance theory, we conceptualize constellations of cultural change happening around recurrent events. We provide an empirical proof-of-concept, focusing on the case of the Eurovision Song Contest. To do so, we build a unique dataset of Eurovision lyrics and public attitudes in 18 European countries between 1981 and 2021 to study the relationships between attitudes about sexual and gender identity and national identity and the corresponding narratives presented at Eurovision. Our findings complicate common assumptions about the duality of events, by highlighting six different configurations of cultural change. We demonstrate how the concept of recurrent events contributes to the literature on events, consider the theoretical and methodological implications, and provide recommendations for future research.

"I Don't Feel Hate"

In (media) popular music, “personas” are usually media personalities. They mainly appear in mass media. As the media landscape has changed over the last 150 years, so have the media appearances of these musician-personalities - from sheet music to radio, records, film, television, music videos and finally YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Popular music is dominated by stars, media personalities who present a musical performance - but the way this performance is presented has varied historically. In “old” media, record companies had considerable power with regard to access to markets, but also regarding production, marketing and perpetuation of star images. This has changed dramatically with the rise of the internet and various social media platforms. Now potentially everyone has access, everyone can present oneself publicly, everyone can have his or her “15 minutes of fame” (Andy Warhol). The article describes these transformations to the principle of stardom using a case study: the creation of the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam 2021. The previously unknown singer Jendrik Sigwart talks about his application on TikTok and in particular about the production of a music video for it. His application on TikTok for one of Europe’s oldest TV events is an interesting moment in media history, in which old narrative strategies mix with new ones.

Adam Dubin, Dean Vuletic and Antonio Obregón (Eds.). The Eurovision Song Contest as a Cultural Phenomenon. From Concert Halls to the Halls of Academia. Published by Routledge, New York (2023), 275 pp.

Book Review

A Romani woman in Eurovision: ethnic and gender stereotypes in the reception of Remedios Amaya (1983)

ABSTRACT Remedios Amaya was the first Roma woman to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest. Chosen because of her ethnicity, Amaya’s Romani heritage was meant to commemorate the Samudaripen/Porajmos (Romani Holocaust) in the year Munich hosted Eurovision (1983). Despite efforts to foster an image of modernization and progressive values, the hostile reception that followed her performance being awarded zero points contributed to the perpetuation of various stereotypes of Romani women. Analyzing press reviews of Europe’s most popular music program, my aim is to explore the perceptions of non-Roma commentators with regard to the selection and reception of a Romani singer as Spain’s representative. Looking at reception studies and stardom, this article will analyze the intersection of ethnic and gender stereotypes in relation to a female Roma artist during the early years of Spanish democracy. It will explore the hypersexualization and exoticization of Amaya’s TV performance, which revived the image of the Gitana, a trope that under Franco embodied the image of an idealized Spain. Widely exploited by the tourist industry, Roma culture (or more precisely, the naturalization of certain stereotypes assigned to Gitanos) was blamed for reviving the association with the recent dictatorship, thus displaying the persistence of Spain’s unresolved past and ambivalent cultural identity that still destabilizes Spaniards with regards to their status in Europe.

The Eurovision song contest and the potential of unintended events and public diplomacy: how exposure to an international mega-event shapes external views of the EU

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) as a potential tool for EU public diplomacy. Institutionally, the ESC, a pan-European international mega-event that forms images of Europe, is not related to the EU. Yet, given the strong link between the ESC and the notion of Europe, the article suggests that the ESC might have unintentionally become a public diplomacy tool for the EU. This argument is supported by showing how public views of the EU in a nonmember country, Israel, changed following its hosting of the ESC in 2019. A longitudinal survey was used to examine the impact of the ESC on Israelis’ sympathy for the EU six months before the 2019 ESC and immediately after hosting the contest. The findings indicated that watching the ESC final increased sympathy for the EU. This demonstrates the positive influence of exposure to the ESC on the views of the EU, highlighting the potential role of the ESC as a tool of public diplomacy for the EU. The findings also illustrate a broader potential for understanding public diplomacy consequences from real-life events.

EVENT TOURISM AS CATALYST FOR EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN AZERBAIJAN

This paper explores the profound impact of event tourism on employment growth in Azerbaijan, a nation renowned for its rich cultural heritage and dynamic tourism sector. Event tourism, encompassing cultural, sporting, and business events, has emerged as a global driver of economic development. Azerbaijan, spurred by the success of hosting prestigious events like the Eurovision Song Contest and the European Games, has strategically invested in and promoted its event tourism sector. The study employs a robust methodology, combining statistical data, case studies, and interviews with key stakeholders, to analyze the direct and indirect employment effects of event tourism. Notably, this examination extends beyond immediate event periods, encompassing the ripple effects on sectors such as hospitality, travel, and infrastructure development. Azerbaijan's commitment to event tourism is rooted in historical successes, with the Eurovision Song Contest and the European Games serving as catalysts for increased investments and promotional efforts. The government's support, coupled with private sector participation, has shaped an environment conducive to hosting diverse events, leading to a surge in employment opportunities. The paper scrutinizes the sustainability of employment growth, assessing its alignment with Azerbaijan's broader economic goals. While acknowledging the sector's positive contributions, challenges like seasonal employment fluctuations and skill mismatches are considered. The findings highlight the significant role of event tourism in urban employment growth but also underscore the importance of addressing associated challenges. In conclusion, this research underscores the substantial contribution of event tourism to employment in Azerbaijan. The paper concludes with practical recommendations aimed at maximizing the employment potential of event tourism, ensuring long-term economic and social benefits. By navigating challenges and fostering strategic alignment, Azerbaijan can harness the transformative power of event tourism for sustained and inclusive employment growth. Keywords: Event Tourism, Employment Growth, Azerbaijan, Economic Development, Hospitality Industry, Infrastructure Development, Sustainable Employment.

Towards a theory of participatory diplomacy via the Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is officially a non-political event but has nevertheless been a useful tool for participating nations’ public and cultural diplomacy strategies. While Eurovision’s diplomatic utility for states is subject to much scholarly attention, little attention has been paid to how fans and audiences participate actively in these processes as political agents and actors. Drawing upon the frameworks of public diplomacy and participatory culture, this article puts forth the portmanteau concept of ‘participatory diplomacy’ to explain and explore how Eurovision illuminates a particular intersection of public diplomacy and participatory culture wherein the audience actively participates in its cultural platform to shape its political message and meaning.

The Digital Contestation of Racialized Nationhood in Russia

This article offers an account of how digital-media communication enables the negotiation of nationhood from the bottom up. It explains how conservative understandings of national belonging can be challenged and co-constructed in the process of public communication over a given discursive event. Using a discourse-historical approach and multimodal critical discourse analysis focused on Manizha’s performance on the Eurovision Song Contest, the author shows the role of race, gender, citizenship, and origins for the construction of a sense of national belonging in the Russian Federation right on the eve of the full-scale war with Ukraine. The author argues that despite the commonly shared racialized understanding of Russian nationhood and the state-imposed conservative values that shape it, there was a dynamic toward a more inclusive understanding of national belonging that was advanced by some popular celebrities and picked up, bottom-up, by minority groups and liberal-minded RUnetizens.

Geopolitics in the ESC: Comparing Russia’s and Ukraine’s use of cultural diplomacy in the Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest has long served as a platform for cultural diplomacy among its participants. This paper examines how Russia and Ukraine have approached cultural diplomacy in and around the Eurovision Song Contest in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Following an outline of pertinent events from 2014 to 2022, including the Song Contest and the respective countries’ selected entries as well as the public discourse surrounding them, two distinct types of cultural diplomacy—culturalist versus neo-propagandist—are employed in a congruence analysis. The findings show that Russia employed a largely neo-propagandist approach to cultural diplomacy characterized by their projected image of peacefulness, innocence, and strength to alter their situational image. Ukraine has employed a mostly culturalist approach mainly focused on mutual recognition and the representation of national culture. The conscious instrumentalization of the platform to counter misconstrued perceptions of Ukraine shaped by the Kremlin’s rhetoric also adds neo-propagandist elements.

“Be Creative, Be Friends and Share Cultural Experiences”: Genre, Politics, and Fun at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Abstract This article examines children’s political agency in the context of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song Contest is widely recognized as a political arena—a space for nation branding and soft diplomacy, narratives of European musical and democratic harmony, and protests over global political events. But despite filling similar roles to their adult counterparts, the young performers’ age and the organizers’ emphasis on ensuring the event is safe and fun mean these dynamics are frequently downplayed or overlooked at Junior Eurovision, with significant consequences for how we understand children’s political and politicized roles in international cultural spaces. I work with Lauren Berlant’s concepts of genre and the juxtapolitical to argue that recognition of children’s political—as opposed to artistic—agency by adults is tempered by both the format of Eurovision as entertainment and by broader conceptions apparent in international discourses of children as apolitical innocents. I suggest that while each of these genres can work separately to quiet the political dimensions of events, issues, and identities, it is Junior Eurovision’s double-edged status as a spectacular musical event and one starring and aimed at children that keeps the young performers from being recognized as having political identities and agency twice over.

The historical coverage of televised media events in print media: The Case of the Eurovision Song Contest

This study argues that, historically, televised media events managed to become prominent in the public agenda, not only through their live broadcast on television, but also through their long-term, continuous visibility in the print media. This, both on the level of the intensity of their press coverage; and also on the level of their framing as important and significant events for society. In other words, media events have enabled a content-based “coexistence” between print media and television. Through a thematic-qualitative analysis, the study describes how two Israeli, popular and elite newspapers promoted the public discourse on two of the most famous media events in Israel’s history: the 1979 and 1999 Eurovision Song Contests in Jerusalem. Findings reveal an intensive print media coverage of the two shows, from both “soft” (gossip) and “hard” (politics) perspectives. In addition, differences were found in the historical coverage of the contests in popular newspapers, compared to elite ones.

Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest

Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest

Killing Conchita: celebrity persona (de/re)construction as artistic transformation

ABSTRACT Conchita Wurst rose to fame as the bearded drag queen who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014. Through Conchita, the artist Thomas Neuwirth found greater success in his career than he had achieved performing under his own name and non-drag image. Despite this, the specific image and persona of Conchita quickly became limiting for his own artistic expression and growth, leading Neuwirth to introduce a second persona, WURST. This article explores the construction and function of these personas for Neuwirth, arguing that the introduction of WURST has allowed Neuwirth to reconstruct ‘Conchita Wurst’ as a more versatile performance identity and artistic brand than achievable via the Conchita or WURST personas. It demonstrates how persona can be used strategically to disrupt and transform artistic careers, and how the celebrity of a persona can be leveraged into a form of brand recognition even after that persona is discarded.