Front matter
Paul Jordan
Nation Branding, National Identity and the Eurovision Song Contest in Estonia
Politics and Society in the Baltic Sea Region
Contents
1. Nation building and nation branding in The post-Soviet context sa. caesssiess seacasesesssasssaasesesaastacessoceveseereteveass
3. The Eurovision Song Contest:
4. “What do I see? Estonia has again gotten one foot in the door to Europe.” ...esessesseseseressesessesesseseseressese
Preface
This work was inspired by my doctoral research at the University of Glasgow which raised a number of interesting questions about the states of the Baltic Sea region and the Former Soviet Union and their relationship to, and engagement with, the European Union as well as the broader constructions of Europe and the geopolitical categories of East and West. During my studies I developed a keen interest in the Baltic region and Estonia in particular. I was interested in why the Baltic states, and especially Estonia, progressed so rapidly towards EU membership whilst other EU aspirant countries appeared to lag behind. These developments also raised questions regarding identity construction in the context of the return to Europe of post-communist countries. It was during this time that international image came to be used by national governments as they sought integration into various European geopolitical power structures such as the EU and the Council of Europe. How were these elite level discourses on image received by the population as a whole within the context of alleged “plural society” states, home to ethnically diverse populations? My interest in these issues dovetailed with my own personal interest in the phenomenon of nation branding as well as events such as the Eurovision Song Contest, which I first started attending in 2000. My personal engagement and experience of the event meant that I saw first-hand the scale of the production and the significance of the event for a number of countries. Whilst the volume of literature on nation branding and also the ESC are steadily increasing, detailed empirical studies remain few and far between.
This book would not have been possible without numerous individuals who deserve my thanks. First and foremost I would like to thank David Smith at the University of Glasgow, who was the supervisor for my PhD and has always supported and encouraged me in my work. It has been a privilege working under his guidance and expertise. I would also like to thank the editorial team at the
University of Tartu Press, in particular the series editor Eva-Clarita Pettai, who not only provided me with this opportunity to publish my work, but also gave excellent advice during the writing process and invested much time and energy (and patience!) during the editorial process — tänan teid väga! A special thank you to Lea Kreinin for her Estonian language tuition and enthusiasm towards my research. I would also like to express my gratitude to Goran Bolin, Per Stahlberg, Nikolas Glover and Louis Clerc for their stimulating conversations and ideas about nation branding. I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked with some truly inspiring people during my doctoral research and during the writing of this book. I would like to thank the respondents who took time to be interviewed for this work and who, in many cases, put me in touch with other people of interest. In Tallinn I would like to thank my colleagues at Estonian Television, Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian Institute and in Kyiv I would like to thank CFC Consulting. Though I owe much to their knowledge and expertise, any shortcomings or mistakes in this work remain mine alone. In particular I would like to thank my colleagues at the Eurovision Research Network; Karen Fricker, Phil Jackson and Brian Singleton - I will always be grateful for your encouragement and enthusiasm (gin and Fanta anyone?). I have also met some fantastic people through attending the Eurovision Song Contest who have always been so supportive of my work as ‘Dr Eurovision’ and who have gone onto become firm friends outside the bubble of the contest. On a personal note I thank my non-Eurovision friends who I am sure have, at times, grown tired of my discussions concerning the ESC! Special mention goes to my friend Susan Forster who, while we may not always see eye to eye, has always been on my side and was a source of great support during my formative years and continues to be a dear friend. I think Marion would be very proud of us. Last but certainly not least, my thanks go to my parents Betty and Tommy for all their support and encouragement (emotional and financial!) as well as to my sister Kate and her husband Phil for their love, support and endless cups of tea! Finally, I would like to dedicate this book to my niece and nephew, Izzy and Evan, who never fail to make me smile.
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