POP & SEQUINS – IN THE SHADOW OF WAR?

This afternoon seminar focuses on the Eurovision Song Contest, which this year takes place on May 17 in Basel, Switzerland.

We discuss Eurovision as a cultural and political phenomenon, and the burning themes of this year's Eurovision - both the musical and aesthetic as well as the political and activist. Formally, Eurovision is an apolitical pop festival that, since its first edition in 1956, has brought together Europe and Europe's pop-enthusiastic TV viewers.

Politics between sequins
But it is also always a battleground for current political projects and issues, for nation branding and soft diplomacy. Not least in the shadow of the current wars in Ukraine and Gaza, international politics is clearly present between pop and sequins. A few examples: In 2024, Israel's participation was heavily criticized, and the Israeli song had to be changed because the title and several verses referred too clearly to Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023. In 2022, Serbia submitted a song that criticized the country's healthcare system and policy towards Covid 19. 

There will be presentations by: Lisanne Wilken (Aarhus University), Elvi Hjortshøj (Lund University), Inge Høeg Lauridsen, Amalie Hestbæk Jakobsen, Martin Jessen, Michelle Padul Jensen, Mila Kovalj and Tea Sindbæk Andersen (University of Copenhagen) 

Address: University of Copenhagen, Søndre Campus, Karen Blixens Plads 8 - Room: 15A.2.13
Admission is free