Description
Book SynopsisDean Vuletic is a historian of contemporary Europe. As a Lise Meitner Fellow in the Department of East European History at the University of Vienna, he leads the project Intervision: Popular Music and Politics in Eastern Europe. As a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow, he previously led the project Eurovision: A History of Europe through Popular Music. He holds a doctorate in history from Columbia University, USA. He regularly comments on the Eurovision Song Contest in the international media.
Trade ReviewMoves between the Eurovision stage to the political stage … Never has it been placed in its international context as in this truly inventive new book. * EuropeNow *
Vuletic goes beneath the bubblegum to reveal surprising machinations. * Foreign Affairs *
As a scholarly study in international cooperation and competition, this book is exemplary. * Times Higher Education *
Dean Vuletic’s book is an important intervention ... Comprehensive in its coverage, it will become a go-to book for any scholar who is interested in the song contest and its history. * H-Soz-Kult *
It is the recognition of such value in song—no less in Eurovision song—that makes Dean Vuletic’s rich history of the Eurovision Song Contest very important reading indeed. * German Studies Review *
Vuletic ascribes the Eurovision Song Contest an important role in the history of post-war Europe ... Comprehensive in its coverage, it will become a go-to book for any scholar who is interested in the song contest and its history. * H-Net *
The book presents a well-researched and exhaustive historical account of organisational and political matters in relation to the Eurovision Song contest, as well as an in-depth analysis of its cultural significance in a European perspective ... The book as a whole constitutes a significant and valuable contribution to the understanding the interplay of popular music, media and cultural policy in post-World War II Europe. * Popular Music *
[A] survey of the ESC, and a well-researched one. Vuletic makes extensive use of archival materials of the Council of Europe, International Telecommunications Union, EBU and OIRT … [An] important and essential book. * Music Reference Services Quarterly *
A fascinating insight into the history of Eurovision. It is accessibly written, draws on a wealth of archival material, and adds much to our understanding of European culture in the postwar period. * Robert James, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Portsmouth, UK *
This is a terrific addition to the literature on music and international relations. Analyzing the history of what has become the biggest forum of collective voting in Europe, Dean Vuletic shows the janus-headed nature of the Eurovision Song Contest – a competition both apolitical and political at the same time. A must-read addition for students of musicology, international relations and history, and, really, anyone trying to understand the confusing attraction of Europe’s largest music show. * Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Chair of the Department of History, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany *
Overturning familiar assumptions about this "apolitical" celebration of pan-European values, Vuletic brings us a much-needed serious and thorough historical account of the Eurovision Song Contest from its founding in the mid-1950s to the present-day paradox of this "international event with national limitations". A crucial read for anyone interested in the song contest's deeper history and significance. * Ivan Raykoff, Associate Professor of Music, The New School, USA *
Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction: Europe's Greatest Television Show
Part I: The Cold War, 1945-1989 1. The Western European Arrangement 2. The Show of Nations 3. A Contest for Communism
Part II: European Unification, 1990-2016 4. A Concert of Europe 5. The Values of Eurovision Conclusion: Bridges, Diamonds and Fires
Bibliography Index
