Back to the Future: Imagining a New Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest

Russia's Cultural Statecraft

“…The primary research materials consist of: recordings of Russian ESC performances and the 2009 ESC in Moscow; data about the ESC, such as viewing figures and voting results; a selection of international press coverage; and expert interviews. Previous research on Russia's participation in the ESC (Jordan, 2009;Miazhevich, 2010;Meerzon and Priven, 2013;Hansen et al, 2019;Kazakov and Hutchings, 2019) has typically focussed on a more limited timeframe or theme. This chapter offers a historical overview of Russian engagement with the ESC, starting with radio broadcasting and popular music in interwar Europe.…”

The ‘gay Olympics’? The Eurovision Song Contest and the politics of LGBT/European belonging

“…Exhibiting Eurovision’s then highest-ever budget and largest-ever stage, Moscow 2009 presented an opportunity to ‘market a post-Soviet, open, tolerant, and democratic new Russia’ domestically and internationally (Meerzon and Priven, 2013: 119). Com-plicating this narrative was violent police repression of a Pride march organised by Russian and Belarusian activists on Eurovision final day (Cassiday, 2014: 18–21).…”

Nation Branding, Cultural Relations and Cultural Diplomacy at Eurovision: Between Australia and Europe

“…Scholars of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) have long focused on the significant political and economic roles the Contest plays for participating nations. They have shown it to be an important stage for performing the nation as new states emerged after the dismantling of the USSR (Jordan 2014;Meerzon and Priven 2013;Sieg 2013;Vuletic 2007), as both a drain and a boon to national and regional economies, and an important platform for a growing discourse of liberal gender politics as a European value (Halliwell 2018;Baker 2017;Carniel 2015;Lemish 2004). Like sporting events such as the Olympics, the Song Contest is perceived as a safe arena for national competitiveness to play out and for international relationships to be fostered, developed, or even be performed in more negative terms.…”