Abstract
This chapter explores Australia’s Eurovision history – and its ‘Asiavision’ future – as an articulation of the nation’s complex and ongoing relations with Europe. It considers the ideological dimensions of Eurovision’s own history and the impact this might have on the contest’s future in Asia. While Australia’s participation in Eurovision was tolerated as part of the sixtieth anniversary in 2015, its return performance in 2016 was greeted with some ambiguity, and even outright hostility. The announcement that an Australian broadcasting service (SBS), together with the European Broadcasting Union, would be collaborating on the establishment of a song contest for the Asia-Pacific region brought some commercial sense to the engagement, but also foregrounds a particular conceptualisation of Australia as a bridge between Europe and Asia.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ang, I, Yudhishthir, R I, and Mar, P (2015) ‘Cultural Diplomacy: Beyond the National Interest?’ International Journal of Cultural Policy, 21 (4), 365–381.
Australian Government (1994) Creative Nation: Commonwealth Cultural Policy. Canberra: Australian Government.
Australian Government (2013) Creative Australia: National Cultural Policy. Canberra: Australian Government.
Australian Senate (2018) ‘Motions—Eurovision Song Contest’. Last Modified 10 May 2018. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansards/4a4f29d6-cec4-4a55-97d8-b11f23b85dd4/&sid=0146. Accessed 21 September 2018.
Baker, C (2008) ‘Wild Dances and Dying Wolves: Simulation, Essentialization, and National Identity at the Eurovision Song Contest’, Popular Communication, 6 (3), 173–189.
Baker, C (2017) ‘The “Gay Olympics”? The Eurovision Song Contest and the Politics of LGBT/European Belonging’, European Journal of International Relations, 23 (1), 97–121.
Bevenuti, A (2018) ‘Australia’s Relations with the European Community in a Historical Perspective: An Elusive Partnership’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, 72 (3), 194–207.
Bhabha, H (1996) ‘Unsatisfied: Notes on Vernacular Cosmopolitanism’, in P C Pfeiffer and L Garcia-Moreno (eds) Text and Nation: Cross-Disciplinary Essays on Cultural and National Identities, 191–207. Columbia, SC: Camden House.
Blainey, G (1991) The Tyranny of Distance: How Distance Shaped Australia’s History. Melbourne: Pan Macmillan.
Bohlman, P V (2013) ‘Tempus Edax Rerum: Time and the Making of the Eurovision Song’, in D. Tragaki (ed) Empire of Song: Europe and Nation in the Eurovision Song Contest, 35–56. Lanham: Scarecrow Press.
Borić, Z and Radović Kapor, A (2017) ‘The European Song Contest as a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy’, Zbornik sveučilišta Libertas, 1 (2), 225–240.
Brull, M, McQuire, A, Gorrie, N, Onus, M, Abdel Fattah, R, Sabawi, S, Dally, B, Silverstein, J, and Moroney, J (2018) ‘An Open Letter to Jessica Mauboy: Don’t Paint Over Oppression with Hearts and Rainbows’, New Matilda.https://newmatilda.com/2018/05/02/open-letter-jessica-mauboy-dont-paint-oppression-hearts-rainbows/. Accessed 21 September 2018.
Carniel, J (2015) ‘Skirting the Issue: Finding Queer and Geopolitical Belonging at the Eurovision Song Contest’, Contemporary Southeastern Europe, 2 (1), 136–154.
Carniel, J (2017) ‘Welcome to Eurostralia: The Strategic Diversity of Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest’, Continuum, 31 (1), 1–11.
Carniel, J (2018) Understanding the Eurovision Song Contest in Multicultural Australia: We Got Love. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Carniel, J (2019) ‘“It Really Makes You Feel Part of the World”: Transnational Connection for Australian Eurovision Audiences’, in C Hay and J Carniel (eds) Eurovision and Australia: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Down Under, 213–237. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Carniel, J and Hay, C (2019) ‘Conclusion - Eurovision - Australia Decides’, in C Hay and J Carniel (eds) Eurovision and Australia: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Down Under, 259–279. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Chin, B and Hitchcock Morimoto, L (2013) ‘Towards a Theory of Transcultural Fandom’, Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 10 (1), 92–108.
Dalrymple, R (2003) Continental Drift: Australia’s Search for a Regional Identity. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Dean, S (2016) ‘How Much Does It Cost to Host the Eurovision Song Contest and Is It Worth It?’ Telegraph, 13 May, Business. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/13/how-much-does-it-cost-eurovision-song-contest-and-is-it-worth-it/.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) (2017) 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper. Canberra: Australian Government.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) (2018a) ‘Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program’. Australian Government. https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/public-diplomacy/acdgp/Pages/acdgp-guidelines.aspx. Accessed 21 September.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) (2018b) ‘Soft Power Review’. Australian Government. https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/soft-power-review/Pages/soft-power-review.aspx. Accessed 21 September.
Dinnie, K (2015) Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. London: Routledge.
European Commission (2016) Towards an EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations (JOIN/2016/029). Brussels: European Commission.
Fisher, G (1997) Mindsets: The Role of Culture and Perception in International Relations. Los Angeles, CA: Intercultural Press.
Fricker, K and Gluhovic, M (2013) ‘Introduction: Eurovision and the “New” Europe’, in K. Fricker and M. Gluhovic (eds) Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest, 1–28. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gluhovic, M (2013) ‘Sing for Democracy: Human Rights and Sexuality Discourse in the Eurovision Song Contest’, in K Fricker and M Gluhovic (eds) Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest, 194–217. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.
Guardian (2018) ‘Boycott Eurovision Song Contest Hosted by Israel’, Guardian, 8 September, Letters. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/sep/07/boycott-eurovision-song-contest-hosted-by-israel. Accessed 21 September 2018.
Gauja, A (2019) ‘The Politics of Diversity and Participation’, in C Hay and J Carniel (eds) Eurovision and Australia: Interdisiplinary Perspectives from Down Under, 33–55. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Halliwell, J (2018) ‘“All Kinds of Everything”? Queer Visibility in Online and Offline Eurovision Fandom’, Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 13 (2), 113–120. http://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.289.
Holden, M (2018) ‘Eurovision 2018: The Joke Is Finally Wearing a Bit Thin’, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 May. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/eurovision-2018-the-joke-is-finally-wearing-a-bit-thin-20180514-p4zf68.html.
Ismayilov, M (2012) ‘State, Identity, and the Politics of Music: Eurovision and Nation-Building in Azerbaijan’, Nationalities Papers 40 (6), 833–851.
Jenkins, H (2006) Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture. New York: NYU Press.
Johnson, S and Levy, L (2018) ‘“She Is Clear-Eyed and Principled”: Jewish Group Praises Jessica Mauboy for Standing up to “antisemitic” Anti-Israel Activists and Performing in Tel Aviv’, Daily Mail, 14 April. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5615075/Jewish-group-applauds-Australian-singer-standing-anti-Israelis.html. Accessed 21 September 2018.
Jordan, P (2014) The Modern Fairy Tale: Nation Branding, National Identity and the Eurovision Song Contest in Estonia. Talinn: University of Tartu Press.
Jordan, P (2015) ‘Australia to Return to the Eurovision Song Contest!’ Last Modified 17 November 2015. https://eurovision.tv/story/australia-to-return-to-the-eurovision-song-contest.
Knox, D (2018) ‘Greens Ask SBS About Eurovision Boycotts in Israel’, TV Tonight, 21 September. https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/05/greens-ask-sbs-about-eurovision-boycotts-in-israel.html.
Lemish, D (2004) ‘“My Kind of Campfire”: The Eurovision Song Contest and Israeli Gay Men’, Popular Communication, 2 (1), 41–63.
Lo, J-Y (2018) ‘The Novelty Has Worn Off—Let’s Ditch Eurovision for Asiavision’. Sydney Morning Herald, 14 May. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/the-novelty-has-worn-off-let-s-ditch-eurovision-for-asiavision-20180514-p4zf53.html.
Lowe, D (2015) ‘Australia’s Colombo Plans, Old and New: International Students as Foreign Relations’, International Journal of Cultural Policy, 21 (4), 448–462.
Meerzon, Y and Priven, D (2013) ‘Back to the Future: Imagining a New Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest’, in K Fricker and M Gluhovic (eds) Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest, 111–124. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.
Mokre, M (2007) ‘European Cultural Policies and European Democracy’, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 37 (1), 31–47.
Murray, P (2007) ‘The EU and Australia: Beyond the “Tyranny of Distance”’, European Studies, 25, 261–285.
Murray, P (2018) ‘Australia’s Engagement with the European Union: Partnership Choices and Critical Friends’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, 72 (3), 208–223.
O’Connor, J K (2015) The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History. London: Carlton.
Sheller, M and Urry, J (2004) Tourism Mobilities: Places to Play, Places in Play. London: Routledge.
Sieg, K (2013) ‘Conundrums of Post-Socialist Belonging at the Eurovision Song Contest’, in K Fricker and M Gluhovic (eds) Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest, 218–237. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ståhlberg, P and Bolin, G (2016) ‘Having a Soul or Choosing a Face? Nation Branding, Identity and Cosmopolitan Imagination’, Social Identities, 22 (3), 274–290.
Szondi, G (2008) Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding: Conceptual Similarities and Differences. Clingendael: Netherlands Institute of International Relations.
Vuletic, D (2007) ‘The Socialist Star: Yugoslavia Cold War Politics and the Eurovision Song Contest’, in I Raykoff and R D Tobin (eds) A Song for Europe: Popular Music and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest, 83–97. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Vuletic, D (2018) Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest. London: Bloomsbury.
Werbner, P (2006) ‘Vernacular Cosmopolitanism’, Theory, Culture & Society, 23 (2–3), 496–498.
Wise, A and Velayutham, S (eds) (2009) Everyday Multiculturalism. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Wooton, D (2016) ‘Brit Eurovision Host Graham Norton Slams Aussie Entry and Calls for the Country to be Banned from the Contest’, The Sun, 9 May 2016. https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/bizarre/1168044/brit-eurovision-host-graham-norton-slams-aussie-entry-and-calls-for-the-country-to-be-banned-from-the-contest/.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Carniel, J. (2019). Nation Branding, Cultural Relations and Cultural Diplomacy at Eurovision: Between Australia and Europe. In: Kalman, J., Wellings, B., Jacotine, K. (eds) Eurovisions: Identity and the International Politics of the Eurovision Song Contest since 1956. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9427-0_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9427-0_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-9426-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-9427-0
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)