Towards Eurovision, Towards Europe, From the Motherland: Projecting Armenia and Armenianness on the World Stage - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2024

Towards Eurovision, Towards Europe, From the Motherland: Projecting Armenia and Armenianness on the World Stage

Résumé

The first among the three South Caucasus countries to debut at Eurovision, it was no coincidence that Armenia’s first representative, André, was originally from Nagorno-Karabakh. The military dispute over this region, upon Azerbaijan’s inclusion in the contest, caused rivalries to be performed on the Eurovision stage more intensely. In the 21st century, Armenia and Azerbaijan (and other key players) have continuously contested the romantic narrative developed in the 1990s that Eurovision provides a platform for nations to exist fraternally on a pan-European stage. They have also challenged the British and Western European accusations of blind neighborly voting, proving that regional conflicts can have a reverse result in the popular (and jury) vote. André’s diasporic identity equally echoes the tactic the Armenian broadcaster adopts when selecting its representatives, having chosen artists of Armenian descent from Russia, Germany, Greece, France, and culminating in the 2015 act, Genealogy, comprised of six artists from five continents. Armenian’s diasporic status implies potential votes from diasporic communities, as opposed to neighborly votes. Thus, “home” and “Armenianness” are not constructed based on a simple nation-state basis, although nation-branding practices are perfectly identifiable. This is especially evident in the staging, and the musical and linguistic choices in some songs, often contributing to what is known as “(auto)-ethnicization.” Armenia, like the other former Soviet republics, strives to project a certain image of democracy, tolerance, and “Europeanness” to fit in. East–West relations assert themselves when we look at Armenia’s approach to progressive sexuality and sexual expression, and how these are often coupled with traditional elements, such as folk instruments or costumes. Although Eva Rivas, a diasporan artist, sang for “the motherland” in 2010, Armenia’s tactics are still largely positioned towards Europe, a parallel I’m making to the country’s short-lived National Final, “Towards Eurovision” (Depi Evratesil). This is the first such paper to thoroughly analyze Armenia’s individual participation practices at Eurovision.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-04582431 , version 1 (21-05-2024)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04582431 , version 1

Citer

Arman Martirosyan. Towards Eurovision, Towards Europe, From the Motherland: Projecting Armenia and Armenianness on the World Stage. International conference "The ESC in the 21st Century: Eurovision and/or Euro-Visions?" held at the University of Lille, France, 16-17 May 2024. Organized by Mikaël TOULZA and Lucie DE CARVALHO, and the research group CECILLE - ULR 4074., May 2024, Lille, France. ⟨hal-04582431⟩

Collections

SITE-ALSACE
23 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

Gmail Mastodon Facebook X LinkedIn More