Schedule

LECTURE 12:00 - 12:50    Q&A 12:50 - 13:00

Speaker: Dr. Eliyahu Sapir 
 
Subject: "Europe united? Assessing European integration through Eurovision Song Contest voting communities".

ABSTRACT
This paper looks into European integration, and specifically into cultural exchange as an important aspect of these integration dynamics, through analysis of the longitudinal voting behavior in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Using the Eurovision Song Contest as a critical tool, this study aims to explore the underlying geopolitical and sociocultural dynamics shaping Europe. The research question focuses on understanding the impact of geography, cross-cultural interactions, and international relations on voting patterns in the contest, with a view to ultimately assessing the level of European unity, or disunity thereof,  as is reflected in this cultural celebration. 
Using community detection and network analysis techniques, countries' longitudinal propensity to award high points to certain peers is noticed, indicative of shared characteristics such as cultural heritage, geographic proximity, and bilateral relations. Six distinct communities of countries were identified, each showing a tendency to award higher scores to members of their respective communities. In addition, in some communities, other subdivisions appear, depicting sub-communal blocs along with states that still maintain their general communal links without being affiliated with specific subgroups. 

Furthermore, it is worth noting the emergence of a community of non-European states, suggesting that these states do not fit within any European community, emphasizing the importance of cultural, historical, linguistic, and political ties in forming alliances, and making this music festival useful not only as means to establish and practice cultural exchange but also a realistic test of the strength of the imagined European community, offering an insights into the aspirations and challenges of European unity.