The cultural event Eurovision Song Contest has shown signs to contain international conflicts where countries have not been able to keep them out of the competition, which has created a “spill over effect” on the event. This thesis has aimed to investigate why culture, in this case the Eurovision Song Contest, has become an arena for international identity politics, as the contest should be a depoliticised arena. The thesis has been studied as a case study and international conflicts have been investigated as the cases. The selected conflicts that are investigated in this thesis are the one´s between Russia and Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as Israel, Lebanon and Palestine. The conservative LGBTQ-discussion has also been analysed as a fourth conflict. The study has been analysed from a discourse analysis and with the theoretical perspective of constructivism, which has been used as an explanatory theory. The selected empirical material mainly involve media reports related to the Eurovision Song Contest.  The analysis shows that the countries demonstrated a lack of mutual understanding of each other's interests, which the theory constructivism claims are a requirement for cooperation. The conflicts have arisen and appeared in different ways, but all of them have also been about fragmented identity perceptions. This has partly been an explanation of why conflicts have arisen in a cultural context such as the Eurovision Song Contest. The explanation on the LGBTQ-discussion has also been about different perceptions of identity and interests but it has mainly been about a new norm, where love can exist between the same sexes and where identities do not need to be defined based on just men and women. According to constructivism, this new norm will need time to be accepted and until it will belong to social constructs. Eastern Europe and Western Europe differ in this fact where Eastern Europe has not come as far in the development with the LGBTQ-discussion.

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Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur nationer använder nationsmarknadsföring och narrativitet för att förmedla en särskild bild genom att nyttja Eurovision Song Contest som kommunikationsplattform. Undersökningen görs via en semiotisk analys som granskar utvalda visuella delar från tre nationer som agerat värd för evenemanget mellan åren 2009–2018. Resultatet av analysen visar på att nationerna följer olika narrativa spår som lyfter särskilda saker. I diskussionsavsnittet tas två olika hypoteser upp angående värdländernas nationsmarknadsföringar. Den ena är den kulturella hypotesen, alltså att värdlandets kulturella bakgrund präglar nationsmarknadsföringen. Den andra är den strategiska hypotesen som syftar till att värdlandet strategiskt väljer att använda särskilda narrativ utifrån exempelvis sin politiska situation. Diskussionen poängterar dock att andra faktorer kan ha inverkan på nationsmarknadsföringen, såsom huruvida nationen tidigare varit värdland i evenemanget.

Since its debut 1956 Eurovision Song Contest has been a live televised music competition. Over several decades the contest has evolved and with modern technology the contest is about more than just the musical aspects. There are now many more factors to consider while watching and judging the competing acts. Various modes of communications, such as audio, visual, and performance elements, collectively create meaning and contributes to the overall viewing experience. To understand which elements are more profound in creating meaning, a study of seven Eurovision fans was undertaken in a focus group. The fans got to watch seven handpicked Eurovision performances from within the past decade (2014-2023). The result is a discussion about how this audience perceive and value modes and to which degree these aspects generated meaning for each of them individually. Through a comprehensive analysis of the discussion, the study aims to uncover patterns, preferences, and the evolving role of multimodality in shaping the audience's perception of Eurovision as a multimedia spectacle. The participants were able to speak freely about the subject due to their shared interest of the topic, yet the conversation did not particularly hold any evidence of multimodal patterns nor multimodal grammar.

The study discusses sustainable development of events and the research displays that this is often connected to mega events or the work of specific destinations. The events Eurovision Song Contest and the Ice Hockey World Championships are therefore chosen because of their size, impact in both media and visitors and the lack of theory regarding their sustainability. The specific cases chosen are Eurovision in Malmö 2013 and Stockholm 2016, the 2013 Ice Hockey World Championship in Stockholm with help from the 2014 Junior Ice Hockey World Championship in Malmö. The purpose of this study is to analyze the host destinations and the national organization Swedish Ice Hockey Association’s work with sustainability regarding social, economic and ecological aspects and if and how that work impacts the host communities in the long run. Also, how the relationship with the head organizations who are the owners of the events, European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), functions regarding sustainability. This is examined by 11 qualitative semi-structured interviews with key individuals for both events which is then analyzed against what the research and literature points to regarding social, economic and ecological with a clear focus on sustainability.This study shows that the work with sustainability was very well conducted at Eurovision in both Malmö and Stockholm where Malmö even got the parts they were responsible for ISO-certified. The idea was also a part of the Worlds in Stockholm and the Junior Worlds in Malmö but there are opportunities for development. Particularly the question of how well the effects of the events hold up afterwards as there is no clear follow-up to initiatives and values discussed during the events. It is made clear that the focus on sustainability is foremost something insisted by the host destinations and in some part by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association as there is a lack of both focus and guidelines on the subject from the head organizations. A focus on sustainable events from the host destinations could be positive both during the bidding process and implementation as it contributes to a greater competitiveness. The initiative from public organizations such as host destinations and national sports organizations may be the driving force in pushing head organizations to be more sustainable. For a successful sustainable development of both events the entire organization, both the head organizations and the host destinations, behind these events needs to have the same perspective on sustainability and work towards the same goal. This study is written in Swedish. / Studien diskuterar hållbar utveckling av evenemang och forskningsöversikten visar att detta oftast kopplas till megaevent eller specifika destinationers arbete. Evenemangen Eurovision Song Contest och Ishockey-VM väljs därför ut i den här studien på grund av deras storlek, genomslag i både medier och besökare och bristen på teori gällande deras hållbarhet. Fallen som diskuteras är Eurovision som ägde rum i Malmö 2013 och i Stockholm 2016 och Ishockey-VM i Stockholm 2013 (A-VM) med hjälp av Junior-VM 2014 i Malmö. Syftet för studien är att analysera värddestinationernas och den nationella organisationen Svenska Ishockeyförbundets arbete med hållbarhet inom sociala, ekonomiska och ekologiska aspekter. Relationen med huvudorganisationerna och tillika ägare av evenemangen European Broadcasting Union (EBU) och Internationella Ishockeyförbundet (IIHF) undersöks också gällande deras arbete med hållbarhet. Studiens empiri samlas in genom 11 kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med nyckelpersoner för de båda evenemangen. Empirin analyseras sedan med hjälp av den forskning och litteratur som finns gällande social, ekonomisk och ekologisk hållbarhet.Studien visar att det arbetades väldigt bra med hållbarhet under Eurovision i både Malmö och Stockholm där Malmö Stad till och med ISO-certifierade alla delar de själva var ansvariga för. Tänket fanns även under A-VM i Stockholm och Junior-VM i Malmö men där finns det utvecklingsmöjligheter. Främst frågan om hur väl effekterna kvarstår efter evenemangen då det inte finns någon tydlig uppföljning på de initiativ och värderingar som diskuterades under själva eventen. Tydligt är dock att hållbarhetstänket i första hand är något som drivs av värddestinationerna och till viss del de nationella organisationerna. Det råder nämligen brist på både fokus och riktlinjer gällande hållbarhet hos de båda huvudorganisationerna. Hållbarhetsfokus på evenemang från värddestinationer kan vara positivt både under ansökning och genomförande då det bidrar till större konkurrenskraft. Initiativet från offentliga aktörer som värddestinationer och nationella sportorganisationer kan vara en drivande kraft i att uppmana huvudorganisationer till att arbeta mer hållbart. För en framgångsrik hållbar utveckling av de båda evenemangen behöver hela organisationen, både huvudorganisationerna och värddestinationerna, bakom de båda evenemangen ha samma perspektiv på hållbarhet och arbeta mot samma mål.

This thesis examines the extent to which European journalistic coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) supports the nation branding of individual countries, focusing on Ukraine's participation during 2016 and 2022. Through an analysis of 16 selected articles from British and Swedish media outlets, the study investigates how Swedish and British media outlets report on how Ukraine's portrayal in the ESC contributes to its nation branding efforts. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks of strategic narrative and nation branding, the research explores two main questions: To what extent does media coverage support Ukraine's nation branding in the ESC? And has there been any change in coverage since 2016? Furthermore, the study reflects on why nation branding within the profession of journalism has become accepted and not questioned, examining the implications for the profession and its role in society. Through a qualitative narrative analysis based on the concept of framing, two distinct narratives were revealed: "Ukraine's Resistance Against Oppression and Invasion" and "Support and Solidarity from Europe." The findings demonstrate differences in reporting between Swedish and British media, with shifts in focus observed between 2022 and 2016. This study underscores the role of media in shaping perceptions and nation branding, offering insights into the dynamics of strategic narratives and media influence, and the evolving role of journalism in society.

Syftet med denna studie är att analysera de fyra senaste nordiska vinnarbidragen i Eurovision Song Contest, för att se om det föreligger återkommande mönster, normativa könsstereotyper och hur makt uttrycks i tävlingen. Genom multimodala analyser av dessa bidrag med fokus på kön och makt, kommer följande frågeställningar att besvaras: Hur ser den multimodala gestaltningen ut inom de fyra senaste nordiska vinnarbidragen i Eurovision Song Contest? Samt: Hur representeras kvinnor respektive män i de olika bidragen? Som material för analyserna har Youtube-klipp på samtliga bidrag använts, där det multimediala har analyserats genom multimodala analyser. Efter dessa analyser blir sammanfattningen att det finns återkommande mönster och könsstereotyper inom ESC, där männen ofta tilldelas makt medan kvinnor i stället är den mer försumbara. Dessa mönster och stereotyper ser vi inte givetvis vid första inblicken av ett bidrag, utan genom att göra djupare multimodala analyser. / The primary aim of this study is to examine and analyze how different media (multimedia or mixed media) in the Eurovision Song Contest work togheter when combined. The expectation is to see if there are reocurring themes and patterns in the representation of the Nordic countries in the ESC with a main focus on gender bias and authority. Four different winning entries from the Eurovision Song Contest performed by the Nordic countries have been chosen and analyzed. The thesis in this essay is that there are patterns in the representation of different countries in the ESC, and that there also may occur stereotypical gender bias. Therefore the key questions have been the following: What does the multimodal impersonation of the latest four Nordic winners in the ESC look like? And: What does the representation of men and women look like? Youtube-videos have been used as material to analyse these performances by doing multimodal analyses. This study indicates that there are occuring gender bias and stereotypes in the ESC, and also reoccuring patterns in the representation of the Nordic countries as a geographical area. We can not see this by the first glimpse, but through deeper multiodal analyses.

The diploma thesis focuses on the connection of interest in the international music competition Eurovision Song Contest and in the European Union. The theoretical part shows the current approaches to the study of the contest, which is watched annually by almost 200 million viewers worldwide. The work also provides space for a brief history of the contest, including a detailed description of how the Czech Republic participated there, what the country has done only at the time of membership in the European Union. The competition, based on a grouping of European states, is placed here in the context of the European Union, which together share the motivation for their historical establishment. The text therefore shows the history and development of the European Communities and the establishment of the European Union and its institutions. One of them is the European Parliament, whose representatives are directly elected by the citizens of the Member States. On the example of the elections to the European Parliament in 2019, the work penetrates the possible interest of events in the European Union and watching the Eurovision Song Contest, as both events - elections and contest evenings - took place at about the same time - in mid-May 2019. With the help of quantitative and qualitative methods, data from...

Over the last six decades, the Eurovision Song Contest has tried to embody the voice of European unification and international corporation. Previous scholars have depicted Eurovision as something highly influential and beneficial for all participating parties, whether that relates to the opportunity for commercial profit, outspoken Europeanist aspirations, or desired political progress– the song contest is utilized by multiple actors for varying reasons. In this study, I aim to demonstrate how it functions as an alternative cultural battlefield, a unifying apparatus, a signifier of projections, and a vehicle for soft power politics in warfare. It is an essay about political storytelling– the dichotomies between collaboration and resistance, Europeanist aspirations versus nationalistic objectives, the democratic against the totalitarian, the good and the bad. The Eurovision rationale aims to encourage certain rules of behavior and regulate conduct towards those nations that have failed to adhere to these rules. When these assumptions gain terrain in the public discourse, epistemological hegemonies are maintained, power relations sustained and public opinion affected. The study uses a methodological framework of qualitative research, and the empirical data consists of seven interviews followed by a visual analysis of the performances and context surrounding entries from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia over the years. Three main narratives emanated from this study. The Eurovision Song Contest can be understood as an imagined community created by language and imagined through symbols of meaning. The governing body of Eurovision is the sovereign player who gets to control the political discourse by managing the selection of songs and participating countries. With impression management, the participating nations try and regulate how they are perceived in a public setting. It is communicated through carefully curated performances and acted out by constructed characters. When one fails to adhere to the rules set by the ESC organizers, disturbances occur, and the competition's core values are threatened.

The use of media technology to pre-program the camera work of performances (with tools such as CuePilot) became a state-of-theart solution in live broadcasted music competitions and events, allowing to create technologically advanced and more appealing live performances. In this paper we study how the use of such solutions affect the viewer’s experience, assuming that preprogrammed camera work results in a more unified experience compared to manual camera work. The paper also investigates whether pre-programmed camera work is noticeable by the viewers. To study these effects an experiment was conducted. The material used was a set of four entries from the Latvian music competition Supernova available in two versions: one produced manually without CuePilot and one pre-programmed with CuePilot. Each participant watched two of the entries without CuePilot and two with, and provided quantitative input according to GEMS (Geneva Emotional Music Scale), an instrument developed in order to measure musically evoked emotions, as well as qualitative input, as each participant had to determine which two of the performances watched were directed with CuePilot and asked to explain their choices. An analysis of the data using statistical tools and significance tests showed that pre-programmed camera work can result in a more unified experience compared to manual camera work, up to some degree. The ability to decrease the variance depends on the creativity value of the Creative Space of the specific production. Pre-programmed camera work is not directly noticeable but can be identified more easily with the presence of video effects, quick cuts or explicit interaction of the artist with the camera. / Användningen av medieteknik för att förprogrammerad kameraarbetet för framträdanden (med verktyg såsom CuePilot) har blivit en lösning i teknologisk framkant inom direktsända musiktävlingar och event vilket möjliggjort tekniskt avancerade och mer attraktiva liveframföranden. I denna uppsats undersöks hur användningen av sådana lösningar påverkar tittarens upplevelse under antagande att förprogrammerat kameraarbete resulterar i en mer enad upplevelse i jämförelse med manuellt kameraarbete. Vidare undersöker uppsatsen om förprogrammerat kameraarbete är märkbart hos tittaren. För att undersöka denna inverkan utfördes ett experiment. Materialet som användes var fyra bidrag från den lettiska musiktävlingen Supernova tillgängliga i två versioner: en producerad manuellt utan CuePilot och en förprogrammerad med CuePilot. Varje deltagare tittade på två av bidragen utan CuePilot och två med och bidrog med kvantitativ input enligt GEMS (Geneva Emotional Music Scale), ett verktyg framtaget för att mäta musikaliskt framkallade känslor, tillsammans med kvalitativ input då deltagarna också blev ombedda att gissa vilka av de sedda bidragen som producerats med CuePilot tillsammans med en motivering av valet. Med statistiska verktyg och signifikanstest visade en analys av datan att förprogrammerat kameraarbete till viss del kan resultera i en mindre varians av upplevelser. Möjligheten att minska variansen beror på kreativitetsvärdet av den kreativa rymden (Creative Space) för en specifik produktion. Förprogrammerat kameraarbete är inte direkt noterbart men kan lättare bli identifierat om videoeffekter, snabba klippningar och tydlig interaktion mellan artist och kamera är närvarande.