Friday 13 – Saturday 14 May

Eurovision and the ‘New’ Europe is an international, interdisciplinary research network launched in 2009 and funded by the  UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The project aims to advance critical thinking about the contemporary Eurovision Song Contest, focusing on the ways in which the Contest has reflected, and perhaps driven, changing perceptions and realities of Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.This week in Dusseldorf the final workshop of Eurovision and the ‘New Europe’ will take place.

We are sponsoring two events at this year’s ESC.

Friday 13 May (11:30am – 1:00pm): ‘New’ Europe Panel Discussion – Euroclub, Ratinger Straße 25

For this event we are bringing a number of contest stakeholders together for a lively debate about the ways in which the ‘New’ Europe is being performed and negotiated at this year’s Contest. Our participants include:

• Szymon Stellmaszyk (Journalist, Poland)
• Caroline Downey (Producer, Ireland – and also Irish entry Jedward’s mentor)
• Ramaz Bluashvili (A Head Producer with Georgian Public Broadcasting – who have qualified for the ESC2011 final)
• Irving Wolther (Academic, University of Hannover, Germany)
• Edmondo Anselmi (Head of Press, San Marino delegation)

This event is free and open to the public.

Saturday 14 May (9:00am – 12:30pm): Feeling European: The Eurovision Song Contest and the European Public Sphere
ESC & the ‘New’ Europe (AHRC Workshop) at Fachhochschule Düsseldorf, University of Applied Sciences

‘Feeling European: The Eurovision Song Contest and the European Public Sphere’  is an academic workshop that will consider the ways in which the ESC enacts an ideal vision of Europe, and the role that affect plays in viewers’ various affiliations to the ESC; several network members will give public plenary lectures; and a panel made up of Contest stakeholders will consider the network’s preliminary findings, in a discussion open to the public.

For further information about the third workshop of the Eurovision and the ‘New Europe’ research network please click here (http://www2 NULL.warwick NULL.ac NULL.uk/fac/arts/theatre_s/research/eurovision/feeling_european/).

For further information about Eurovision and the ‘New Europe’ please click here (http://www2 NULL.warwick NULL.ac NULL.uk/fac/arts/theatre_s/research/eurovision/).