"Born in Belorussia, USSR-Time Belorussia": Belarusian ESC 2011 Entries as Reflections of Clashing State Propaganda Narratives
"Born in Belorussia, USSR-Time Belorussia": Belarusian ESC 2011 Entries as Reflections of Clashing State Propaganda Narratives

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to analyze all the texts of a series of song choices for the 2011 Belarussian Eurovision Song Contest entry to discern different propaganda strategies, from presenting the Belarusians as open-minded and friendly, yet faithful to “traditional values,” to evoking feelings of Soviet nostalgia—with close-reading as the analytic tool. The influence of the geopolitical situation ca. 2010 on the Eurovision acts of CEE countries will be a crucial context that will allow assessment of whether Vinnikova’s entry was an unprecedented mix of authoritarian propaganda content with the form of a Eurovision song, a reflection of a broader trend, or a foreshadow of new pop-cultural poetics.

• Details
• Contents