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[Commlist] CfP ‘Eurovision Song Contest and Humanities and Social Sciences'
Mon Oct 06 22:35:04 GMT 2025
*Call for Papers for the international conference: Eurovision Song
Contest and Humanities and Social Sciences: Issues, questions
and perspectives*
April 1, 2 & 3, 2026, Paris, Campus des Cordeliers
https://encore-network.org/call-for-papers/
<https://encore-network.org/call-for-papers/>
Since its inception in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) has
launched the careers of global stars such as ABBA and Celine Dion.
Multicultural and multilingual, and unmatched in scale outside the
Olympic and Paralympic Games, the ESC has become a fixture of the
European public media landscape. In 2025, the contest reached 166
million television viewers
<https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2025-record-breaking-reach> and
garnered 1.8 billion views
<https://www.ebu.ch/research/loginonly/report/eurovision-song-contest-brand-impact-report>
across its social media platforms. As a ceremonial media event (Dayan &
Katz, 1996), the ESC carries significant economic, political, and social
implications.
On the eve of its 70th anniversary, the ESC is far from being an
outdated or kitschy public spectacle. Instead, it crystallizes numerous
complex issues. It serves as a platform where Europe and its neighbors
express national identities and shared imaginaries, while also
reflecting geopolitical rivalries—from East-West tensions during the
Cold War to more recent conflicts such as Armenia/Azerbaijan,
Ukraine/Russia, and Israel/Palestine. Positioned at the intersection of
the cultural and media industries, the ESC raises questions about the
construction of norms and the representation of certain populations.
Finally, the ESC prompts critical inquiry into cultural legitimacy and
its counterpoint—the eclecticism of taste—raising the question: what
does it mean today to ‘love the Eurovision Song Contest’?
Studying the ESC thus entails exploring the intersections of identity,
collective rituals, and social media participation, while also
illuminating the complex political and social dynamics within the
cultural and media industries. To what extent can the humanities and
social sciences help us to illuminate, understand, and critically
analyze the social, cultural, and political issues—both past and
present—embodied in the ESC?
In recent years, a growing body of research has examined the ESC through
a variety of disciplinary and methodological approaches. This body of
work engages with multiple disciplinary perspectives, including
explorations of national and cultural identities in Europe (Fricker &
Gluhovic (eds.), 2013; Jordan, 2014; Neves, 2017; Panea, 2020; Venon,
2007), as well as approaches rooted in musicology and popular culture
(Björnberg, 1987; Fornäs, 2017; Shuker, 2016; Raykoff, 2021; Tragaki
(ed.), 2013), cultural sociology and fan studies (Le Guern, 2007; Vieira
Lopes, 2023), cultural studies (Carniel, 2018; Coleman, 2008; Salgó,
2017), history (Vuletic, 2018), communication and media studies
(Appiotti, Bolz, Boittiaux & Neuvillers, 2025; Pajala, 2011), education
studies (Cremona, 2022), and gender studies (Baker, 2024; Imre, 2020;
Lemish, 2004; Vänskä & Tuhkanen (eds.), 2007).
The conference “Eurovision Song Contest and the Humanities and Social
Sciences” seeks to build upon the collective initiatives that have
helped establish an interdisciplinary state of the art in ESC research
(Raykoff & Tobin, (eds.), 2007; Fricker & Gluhovic, (eds.), 2013; Dubin,
Vuletic & Obregón, (eds.), 2023). Adopting an interdisciplinary and
critical perspective, the conference aims to explore and interrogate
emerging approaches and studies related to the contest and its multiple
dimensions.
The discussions at this conference will be structured around the
following central research questions:
* How are the humanities and social sciences approaching the ESC?
Conversely, how might the ESC stimulate and challenge the
theoretical frameworks and methodologies of these disciplines?
* Is the ESC an original social object with its own distinct questions
and methods, or does it resemble other research topics that pose
similar analytical challenges?
* Does current research on the ESC reflect a profound renewal of
academic approaches, or is it primarily shaped by long-term dynamics
involving the revision and adaptation of existing themes, objects,
and analytical frameworks?
* What do analyses of the ESC contribute to the humanities and social
sciences, particularly in terms of methodological tools, and
interpretive perspectives?
* How do disciplinary orientations and the ethnocentric perspectives
of researchers shape their interpretations of the ESC and influence
their research practices?
This conference also aims to underscore the importance of diverse
perspectives, disciplines, and research traditions, recognizing that
only an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to the ESC can
fully capture and update the current state of scholarship on the
subject. As such, paper proposals are welcome from a wide range of
disciplines and methodologies, including but not limited to:
anthropology, communication studies, cultural studies, law, economics,
gender studies, tourism studies, aesthetics, geography, history, fan
studies, musicology, narratology, performance and theater studies,
political science, linguistics, semiotics, and sociology. In particular,
papers are expected to include:
1. A critical and reflective presentation of the concepts, paradigms,
and methodologies employed to address the questions raised by the
conference. Special attention should be given to the identification
of the disciplinary fields involved and the ways in which they are
brought into dialogue. Contributions should demonstrate how these
interdisciplinary engagements offer an original lens for
understanding the ESC.
2. An analysis grounded in verifiable and contestable empirical
material, such as ethnographic fieldwork, textual or media corpora,
databases, or other forms of structured data, allowing for critical
debate and scholarly validation.
To this end, we propose several thematic areas for consideration. These
are not exhaustive and are intended as a guiding framework to assist in
the drafting of paper proposals.
1. As stated above, we are interested in the *epistemologies and
methodologies employed in conducting field research on the ESC*:
* Between the “aca-fan” stance (Jenkins, 2006: 4) and the claim to
axiological neutrality, how can researchers study the ESC while
maintaining reflexivity, critical distance, and scientific rigor?
* What approaches are commonly favored to define the ESC as a research
subject, and what are the underlying reasons for these preferences?
* In what ways do the social, political, and historical contexts of
research shape the situated knowledge (Haraway, 1988) of scholars
studying the ESC?
* From the Super Bowl halftime show to the Olympic Games (Gilbert &
Lo, 2007; Baker, 2016; Baker, Atkinson, Grabher & Howcroft, 2025),
television competitions (Leveneur-Martel, 2021) and music festivals
(Delanty, Giorgi & Sassatelli (eds.), 2011; Djakouane & Négrier,
2021), what comparisons and dialogues can be drawn between the ESC
and other cultural phenomena and concrete research topics?
* How can alternative research methods and protocols, including action
research and research-creation, open new ways for investigating the
ESC?
* Finally, how do methodological and scientific experiments, for
example related to digital research methods in the humanities and
social sciences and digital humanities, renew scientific questions
and research protocols concerning the ESC?
2. The role of *the ESC as a mirror reflecting socio-cultural and
political issues, tensions, and debates*—an aspect that has drawn
increasing scholarly attention in recent years—also deserves to be
critically examined.
* To what extent does the ESC function as a catalyst, a revealer, or a
mirror of past and contemporary social, political, and cultural issues?
* How can we move beyond the conventional dichotomy of apoliticism vs.
politicization often applied to analyze the ESC, and instead develop
a more nuanced understanding of the actors, dynamics, and forms of
politicization and depoliticization involved in the contest?
* Why—and through what mechanisms—is the ESC frequently connoted, or
even disqualified, as an outdated, kitschy, or culturally
illegitimate form? How can we (re)qualify the cultural hierarchies
and tastes that shape perceptions of the ESC?
* Why does the ESC crystallize a wide array of debates, social
discourses, values, and ideologies? In what ways are these performed
and staged in the public sphere through interpretive conflicts,
controversies, and scandals?
3. We also place great importance on the *various social actors
involved in the ESC*. Our aim is to better understand the
relational, interactional, and even ‘cooperative-competitive’
(Legavre, 2011) dynamics that structure the interactions among
actors within the ‘Eurovision world’.
This line of research invites submissions that explore—whether through
monographic case studies or comparative analyses—the understanding of
one or more types of social actors gravitating around the ESC, such as:
* The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ;
* Public service media members of the EBU and broadcasters of the
contest ;
* Artists and their “cooperation chains” (Becker, 1988): record
labels, managers, musicians, dancers, producers, technicians, etc. ;
* Private or public media providing coverage of the competition
(Wolther, 2006; Pajala, 2011): journalists, commentators, content
creators, influencers, fan media, etc. ;
* The audiences (Ballarini & Ségur (eds.), 2017), non-audiences, and
fans of the ESC, in all their diversity of practices and
imaginations related to the competition ;
* Politicians, and how they have approached the ESC over the years ;
* ESC sponsors and partner brands.
4. *The forms and formats of the ESC* could also serve as a focal point
for discussion at the conference, particularly in relation to the
following aspects:
* A study of performances (songs, lyrics, staging, etc.);
* The (multi-)media dimension of the contest: the ESC is a concert
stage, a television show, and an unprecedented catalyst for a
variety of formats (videos, photos, memes, rankings, predictions,
polls, etc.) on the web and on digital social networks;
* The ESC as an incubator for technical and technological innovations;
* The dramaturgy of the contest, with a continuous evolution of its
rules and staging (voting rules, announcement of points, etc.);
* The spectacularization of the ESC’s staging: evident both in the
increasing professionalization of its shows and artistic
performances, as well as in the substantial annual budget allocated
to the event’s organization, production, multiple rehearsals,
promotion, and broadcasting.
5. We also believe that the *links between the ESC and the territories*
provide a valuable gateway for dialogue on the following approaches
and themes:
* The value of various scientific approaches, such as geopolitics
(Yair, 1995; Yair & Maman, 1996) or socio-history, in understanding:
the social and symbolic construction of territories, borders, and
cultural identities through the lens of the ESC; the construction of
territorial images and imaginaries through diverse discursive
strategies (such as narratives of national and cultural identities,
and the production and circulation of stereotypes) and semiotic
strategies (such as video “postcards” presenting artists, host
countries and candidates, costumes, flags, national symbols, etc.);
* The role of the ESC in territorial development strategies:
particular attention may be given to the economic, territorial, and
tourism ecosystem of the ESC in relation to the host country and
city. This includes examining its most contested dimensions
(Shepherd, 2021), such as public administrations (tourist offices,
information centers) and local authorities (city, region, etc.) as
well as tourists.
* The dialectical tensions between territorialization and
deterritorialization (do Carmo Cruz, 2019), as well as between
globalization and glocalization (Robertson, 1994) of the ESC.
In all cases, fieldwork, corpus-based studies, and reflexive approaches
to the ESC’s epistemological and methodological frameworks will be
central to our discussions.
Aligned with the founding of the /Eurovision Research Network/ (“Europe
and the ‘New’ Europe Research Network,” 2009 in Fricker, Gluhovic, 2013:
3; 6), this conference aims to serve as a catalyst for the formation of
an international scholarly network exploring the ESC through
interdisciplinary and cross-thematic perspectives.
In a second phase, a collection of double-blind peer-reviewed articles
in English is planned for publication in a specialized academic volume.
*Calendar *
* Publication of the call for papers: September 1, 2025
* Paper proposal submission deadline: October 15, 2025
* Notification of paper acceptance: December 10, 2025
*Submission guidelines*
Proposals should be sent by*October 15, 2025* to the following email
address : (escconference.paris /at/ gmail.com)
<mailto:(escconference.paris /at/ gmail.com)>
Please submit paper proposals *in French or English* as follows :
1. A file (in .pdf format) containing: the title of the paper, a short
bio-bibliographical note (maximum 500 characters, including surname,
first name, and institutional affiliation), an email address, and up
to 5 keywords;
2. An anonymous file (in .pdf format) containing: the title of the
paper, the paper proposal of no more than 3,000 characters including
spaces, excluding bibliographical references.
As a reminder, paper proposals are expected to include:
1. A concise overview of the research context;
2. A clear and well-structured presentation of the research question,
along with the key concepts, paradigms, and methodologies used to
engage with the themes of the conference;
3. A presentation of fieldwork-based analysis (e.g., ethnographic
studies, corpora, textual analysis, databases, etc.). If the
research is still in progress, please provide initial hypotheses and
a description of the research protocol.
All information related to this call for papers and the international
conference is also available on https://encore-network.org
<https://.encore-network.org/>.
*
*
*References *
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*
*
*Organizing committee*
Sébastien Appiotti, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Lisa Bolz, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Johan Boittiaux, LabSIC, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Philippe Le Guern, PTAC, Université Rennes 2
Marie-Caroline Neuvillers, Centre Norbert Elias, Avignon Université
*
*
*Scientific committee*
Sébastien Appiotti, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Catherine Baker, University of Hull
Alix Bénistant, LabSIC, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Johan Boittiaux, LabSIC, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Lisa Bolz, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Marcin Bogucki, Instytut Kultury Polskej, University of Warsaw
Isabel Campelo, NOVA University of Lisbon
Jessica Carniel, University of Southern Queensland
Juliette Charbonneaux, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Thierry Devars, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Karen Fricker, Brock University
Thibault Grison, GERiiCO, Université de Lille
Jonathan Hendrickx, University of Copenhagen
Zhao Alexandre Huang, Dicen-IDF, Université Gustave Eiffel
Virginie Julliard, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
Valeriya Korablyova, University Charles Michel
Philippe Le Guern, PTAC, Université Rennes 2
Louisa Martin-Chevalier, IreMuS, Sorbonne Université
Marie-Caroline Neuvillers, Centre Norbert Elias, Avignon Université
Ivan Raykoff, New School, New York
Simon Renoir, Centre Norbert Elias, Avignon Université
Sofia Vieira Lopes, NOVA University of Lisbon
Hécate Vergopoulos, GRIPIC, CELSA – Sorbonne Université
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