For the Homeland: Transnational Diasporic Nationalism and the Eurovision Song Contest
FOR THE HOMELAND: TRANSNATIONAL DIASPORIC NATIONALISM AND THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST SLAVIŠA MIJATOVIĆ A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN GEOGRAPHY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, CANADA December 2014 © Slaviša Mijatović, 2014 Abstract This project examines the extent to which the Eurovision Song Contest can effectively perpetuate discourses of national identity and belonging for diasporic communities. This is done through a detailed performance analysis of former Yugoslav countries’ participations in the contest, along with in-depth interviews with diasporic people from the former Yugoslavia in Malmö, Sweden. The analysis of national symbolism in the performances shows how national representations can be useful for the promotion of the state in a reputational sense, while engaging a short-term sense of national pride and nationalism for the audiences. More importantly, the interviews with the former Yugoslav diaspora affirm Eurovision’s capacity for the long-term promotion of the ‘idea of Europe’ and European diversities as an asset, in spite of the history of conflict within the Yugoslav communities. This makes the contest especially relevant in a time of rising right-wing ideologies based on nationalism, xenophobia and racism. Key words: diaspora, former Yugoslavia, Eurovision Song Contest, music, nationalism, Sweden, transnationalism ii Acknowledgements Any project is fundamentally a piece of team work and my project has been no different. I would like to thank a number of people and organisations for their faith in me and the support they have given me: William Jenkins, my supervisor. For his guidance and support over the past two years, and pushing me to follow my desired research and never settling for less.
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