A Song for Europe

Popular Music and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music
Cover of the book A Song for Europe by , Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781351577984
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781351577984
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

The world's largest and longest-running song competition, the Eurovision Song Contest is a significant and extremely popular media event throughout the continent and abroad. The Contest is broadcast live in over 30 countries with over 100 million viewers annually. Established in 1956 as a televised spectacle to unify postwar Western Europe through music, the Contest features singers who represent a participating nation with a new popular song. Viewers vote by phone for their favourite performance, though they cannot vote for their own country's entry. This process alone reveals much about national identities and identifications, as voting patterns expose deep-seated alliances and animosities among participating countries. Here, an international group of scholars from a variety of disciplines, including musicology, communications, history, sociology, English and German studies, explore how the contest sheds light on issues of European politics, national and European identity, race, gender and sexuality, and the aesthetics of camp. For some countries, participation in Eurovision has been simultaneously an assertion of modernity and a claim to membership in Europe and the West. Eurovision is sometimes regarded as a low-brow camp spectacle of little aesthetic or intellectual value. The essays in this collection often contradict this assumption, demonstrating that the contest has actually been a significant force and forecaster for social, cultural and political transformations in postwar Europe.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The world's largest and longest-running song competition, the Eurovision Song Contest is a significant and extremely popular media event throughout the continent and abroad. The Contest is broadcast live in over 30 countries with over 100 million viewers annually. Established in 1956 as a televised spectacle to unify postwar Western Europe through music, the Contest features singers who represent a participating nation with a new popular song. Viewers vote by phone for their favourite performance, though they cannot vote for their own country's entry. This process alone reveals much about national identities and identifications, as voting patterns expose deep-seated alliances and animosities among participating countries. Here, an international group of scholars from a variety of disciplines, including musicology, communications, history, sociology, English and German studies, explore how the contest sheds light on issues of European politics, national and European identity, race, gender and sexuality, and the aesthetics of camp. For some countries, participation in Eurovision has been simultaneously an assertion of modernity and a claim to membership in Europe and the West. Eurovision is sometimes regarded as a low-brow camp spectacle of little aesthetic or intellectual value. The essays in this collection often contradict this assumption, demonstrating that the contest has actually been a significant force and forecaster for social, cultural and political transformations in postwar Europe.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Making a Difference: Volume I and II by
Cover of the book Dynamic Supply Chain Alignment by
Cover of the book Hume's Philosophy Of The Self by
Cover of the book Iran Agenda by
Cover of the book Tutorials in Bilingualism by
Cover of the book Extraordinary Memories for Exceptional Events by
Cover of the book Meaning and Melancholia by
Cover of the book Love's Return by
Cover of the book Bankers and Diplomats in China 1917-1925 by
Cover of the book Families in Transformation by
Cover of the book Theophrastus by
Cover of the book When the Moon Waxes Red by
Cover of the book Environment and Social Theory by
Cover of the book A World History of Tax Rebellions by
Cover of the book Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy