From Eurovision to Asiavision: the Eurovision Asia Song Contest and negotiation of Australia’s cultural identities

Abstract

Australia’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and involvement in the organisation of the Asian version of Eurovision (the Eurovision Asia Song Contest) through broadcaster SBS has been celebrated, questioned and criticised. In this article, I examine Australia’s role in the organisation of the Eurovision Asia Song Contest in the context of Australia’s relationship with the region, and what this reveals about Australia’s cultural identity and place in this Asia-Pacific region. If Eurovision was conceived as a post-war project to unify Europe, I argue that for the Eurovision Asia Song Contest to become a reality, it needs to have a framework that takes into account the region’s own historical, political and geo-political contexts rather than having a Eurocentric model imposed on it.