Archive for category Abstracts
Phil Jackson
ESC as a sphere of influence in the C21st
Following the introduction of the modernising agency of the Eurovision brand in 2004 the ESC has continued to foreground the European Broadcasting Union’s public service remit. Indeed, with issues of European identity and citizenship being played-out during the television broadcasts how has its sphere of influence changed – as a celebration of heterogeneous European culture, or an homogenising agent? This presentation will discuss these themes and re-appraise the role of the EU audio visual policies such as the Television Without Frontiers directive.
Phil Jackson is the Associate Head of Media at Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom. In addition he is the Programme Leader for BA Media, Music and Sound. As a fan and scholar of the ESC, Phil has researched areas of fandom, branding and media events theory which relate to the Contest. Phil, along with Toni Sant and Karen Fricker, is a co-founder and executive member of the Eurovision Research Network, which launched in 2009.
Paul Jordan
Posted by Phil Jackson in Abstracts on May 20, 2010
Nation Branding and Image Building Through Popular Culture: A Case Study of Estonia and Ukraine
This is an overview of my current doctoral research on how the Eurovision Song Contest has been used as a platform for image building with particular focus on Estonia and Ukraine. Recent victories by Estonia (2001), Ukraine (2004), as well as others in the “new Europe” Serbia (2007) and Russia (2008) have demonstrated the tremendous significance attached to Eurovision by those post-socialist states pursuing the goal of a ‘return to Europe’ (on the latter concept, see e.g. Eglitis, 2002; Smith, 2001). This paper will present some of my empirical research and present an overview of the identity-political debates surrounding Eurovision and the hosting of this event by the countries concerned.
Paul will ask questions about who ultimately took the decisions on how the contest was staged in Estonia and Ukraine. What “official” representations of Estonian/Ukrainian national identity have been presented through either hosting or participating? How successful was Eurovision in terms of boosting Estonia’s “Nordic” credentials? How was the “awakening” theme of event received in Ukraine? How contested have these respective representations been? Do the current debates exemplify Eurovision as an established European cultural “ritual” and therefore a signpost of a nation’s “return to Europe”?
Paul Jordan is a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow, currently working on his thesis, Nation Branding and Image Building Through Popular Culture: A Case Study of Estonia and Ukraine.
Dr. Irving Wolther
Posted by Phil Jackson in Abstracts on May 20, 2010
National Differences at the Eurovision Song Contest: The Seven Essential & Interconnected “Dimensions of Meaning”
The Eurovision Song Contest shows apparent national differences in using the show as an instrument for national-cultural representation. These ones can be explained by reducing its complexity to seven essential and interconnected ‘dimensions of meaning’.
The results of an interview study on the occasion of the 49th Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul show a focus on the national-cultural dimension and confirm the theory of German sociologist Reinhard Bendix: the more a country is seen as a democratic and industrial ‘latecomer’ in comparison to the Western European ‘avant-garde’ nations, the more likely it is to highlight its cultural uniqueness, since national culture is regarded as a key to the country’s future success.
Irving’s contribution will also focus on recent German and international research related to the voting.