Welcome

Hello and Welcome!

 This blog will focus on Armenia and its participation at the Eurovision Song Contest. I chose to study a country from the Caucasus because I know very little about the region and have always wondered about the origins of Caucasian.
Although my knowledge of both the Eurovision Song Contest and Armenia is limited, I am excited to deepen my understanding of both topics and share it through this blog.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The National Self (and the other)

As refugee and immigrant numbers across the globe increase, the cultural and ethnic background that these people bring with them have sparked debates about the benefits as well as the dangers they may have on a country’s national identity. A nation's identity is much more than cheeseburgers, an eagle, and obesity, as many might say about America’s national identity. It is often many identifiers constantly moving and crossing paths to create a whole. Fundamentally, however, a national identity is based on a common culture created from myths and historical memories that a country shares. A nation and its people must share a homeland or historic territory where the people share legal rights and duties, as well as a joint economy (Smith, 1991, p. 14). A nation, however, cannot be defined on its own without a contrast to others, referred to as significant others. Significant others become a threat to national identity when the nation is unstable or experiencing a crisis (Triandafyllido...
Read more

Critiquing the National Brand

Critiquing the National Brand As humans, it is part of who we are to make associations. While conversing, reading, or watching, people are always making connections; regardless of if it is a conscious decision or not. The same applies when thinking, hearing, or seeing a country’s name. There are associations one makes like geography, culture, and more often than not, stereotypes. Nation branding is one way that a country might advertise themselves so that their ‘brand’ is what one will begin to associate with that particular country. Nation branding is beneficial because it might put the country on the map if it’s less well know, it could potentially help the economy through tourism, and has potential to boost national pride. However, nation branding can be difficult because there is not one identity that accurately represents a whole population. In the case of Armenia, a somewhat lesser known country of the caucuses, its national brand is clear -- Christianity, Arm...
Read more

The Nation on Stage

Nation on Stage Although the Eurovision Song Contests prohibits songs with political meanings, an analysis into these very performances will uncover a meaning that may not have been clear at first listen. Armenia has participated in Eurovision since 2006 and although they have yet to win first place, their entries are full of Armenian pride and tradition. Armenia is not a very diverse country, with Armenians making up 98.1% of the population and Yezidi (kurd) 1.2%. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2019)This almost homogenous population is reflected at Eurovision, with a majority of performers being Armenian. In 2008, Armenia performed the song that earned the country their highest score, finishing in 4th place. The performance was a song written and performed by Sirusho (2008, Armenia) entitled Qele Qele. This upbeat pop song inspired by Armenian folk songs is catchy and jubilant, enticing the audience to sing along. The intro is a melody from the duduk, an Armenian wind in...
Read more