UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Wild dances and dying wolves: simulation, essentialization, and national identity at the Eurovision Song Contest

Baker, C.; (2008) Wild dances and dying wolves: simulation, essentialization, and national identity at the Eurovision Song Contest. Popular Communication , 6 (3) pp. 173-189. 10.1080/15405700802198113. Green open access

[thumbnail of 8131.pdf]
Preview
PDF
8131.pdf

Download (149kB)

Abstract

This paper examines Eurovision as a site for the public representation of the nation and explores the tendency towards simulation in such representations. The contest’s transnational audience and implication in commercial practices create pressures towards representing the nation through simplified, well-known images. A critique of globalization from south-east Europe argues that cultural production from marginalized countries which emphasizes local distinctiveness is a sign of structural inequality. This critique is tested against representational strategies from Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia. Eurovision is then related to tourism through an analysis of the representation of the Mediterranean in Eurovision performances, which reflect symbolic hierarchies constructed by travel writing since the Enlightenment. Finally, the paper considers the overarching representational power exerted by host states.

Type: Article
Title: Wild dances and dying wolves: simulation, essentialization, and national identity at the Eurovision Song Contest
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/15405700802198113
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15405700802198113
Language: English
Keywords: Eurovision Song Contest, popular music, folklore, national identity, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Ukraine
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > SSEES
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/8131
Downloads since deposit
1,856Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item