Construction of national identity in Eurovision Song Contest: case study

The diploma thesis Construction of National Identity in Eurovision Song Contest: Case Study analyses the ways and forms of shaping the Czech national identity in the Eurovision Song Contest, the largest and most watched international festival of popular music in the world. In particular, the thesis aims to identify the manifestation of identity and self-presentation of the Czech Republic from the point of view of a media institution, in the national selection, in the form of the entry itself, in postcards and video clips as well as through voting and viewer ratings. These findings were attained by the combination of three research methods, namely semi-structured interviews with media professionals, qualitative content analyses of audio- visual materials and secondary data analysis. The theoretical framework presents basic concepts of identity formation and nationalism, and provides an in-depth presentation of the Eurovision Song Contest from geopolitical and sociocultural perspectives. The thesis outlines the historical development of the competition with regard to the political and cultural ideas it aims to endorse, and explains the development of participation with special focus on eastward expansion. Several examples of self- presentation and identity construction of other countries within the..