For the Homeland: Transnational Diasporic Nationalism and the Eurovision Song Contest

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.