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Entangled Histories: Identity, Eurovision and European Integration

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Eurovisions: Identity and the International Politics of the Eurovision Song Contest since 1956

Abstract

The historiography and theorisation of European integration traditionally focused on economics, politics and law. However, the current crisis of legitimacy afflicting the European project requires an examination of the normative dimensions of support for European integration. This chapter views the historic development of the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1950s as an element of the broader initiative for European unity. It examines Eurovision’s part in promoting a European identity aligned with affective support for European integration. It concludes that the Eurovision Song Contest embodies a historical compromise between state, national and European identities. ‘Europe’ is imagined at Eurovision as a composite of state and nation bound together by a common past of conflict overcome, by performances that are shaped by its past and contemporary politics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Ben Wellings & Julie Kalman

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  1. Ben Wellings
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  2. Julie Kalman
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Correspondence to Ben Wellings .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Julie Kalman

  2. Politics and International Relations, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Ben Wellings

  3. Politics and International Relations, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Keshia Jacotine

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Wellings, B., Kalman, J. (2019). Entangled Histories: Identity, Eurovision and European Integration. 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_1

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