THE EVOLUTION OF UKRAINE’S CULTURAL SELF-REPRESENTATION STRATEGIES IN THE CONTEXT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze the transformation of Ukraine’s cultural self-representation strategies within the framework of the Eurovision Song Contest as a tool of soft power, and to identify the key narratives and their role in shaping the country’s international image. Research methods that contribute to solving the tasks set are: qualitative content analysis of Ukraine’s ESC entries from 2003 to 2024. Primary data sources include performance recordings, lyrics, staging, and official ESC documentation. Secondary sources comprise academic articles, media reports, and scholarly analyses focusing on cultural diplomacy, nation branding, and the political dimensions of the ESC. The study reveals that Ukraine’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest between 2003 and 2024 demonstrates a deliberate and evolving strategy of cultural self-presentation, characterized by the integration of national symbols, hybrid musical styles, and multilingual performance practices. Over time, Ukrainian entries have increasingly combined aesthetic innovation with subtle and overt political messaging, reflecting the country’s shifting geopolitical context and identity aspirations. Eurovision has thus functioned not only as a stage for musical performance but also as a platform for cultural diplomacy and nation branding. The scientific novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive cultural and art criticism-based analysis of Ukraine’s strategies of cultural self-presentation in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2003 to 2024. Despite the contest’s growing significance as a tool of cultural diplomacy and a medium for shaping a nation’s international image, there remains a notable lack of systematic, interdisciplinary research that integrates aesthetic, musicological, scenographic, and political-communicative perspectives on Ukraine’s performances in their temporal development. This research is the first to trace the evolution of Ukraine’s representational practices at Eurovision with a focus on the interplay between artistic expression and national narrative against the backdrop of shifting socio-cultural and political contexts. As such, it fills a scholarly gap within contemporary Ukrainian and European integration discourse, offering a novel framework for interpreting the Eurovision Song Contest as a site of symbolic cultural dialogue. Between 2003 and 2024, the Eurovision Song Contest served for Ukraine not merely as a musical competition, but as a strategic platform of cultural diplomacy through which the nation constructed and projected its image. Artistic choices, language use, and political messaging in Ukrainian entries reflect the evolving national identity amid complex domestic and international transformations.