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This blog will focus on the country Belgium and their involvement in the Eurovision song contest.

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Belgium: The Nation On Stage

Belgium: Blog 2            For the most part, Eurovision performances tell a story but are portrayed in different ways. These choices are made with a distinct purpose, especially since over 180 million people will be watching a single three-minute performance to be forever associated with the country. Belgium’s choices of Eurovision performers and types of performances can show how they want to be represented as a country and their stance on diversity.            Belgium’s Loïc Nottet (2015) was only 17 years old when he was on stage for the Eurovision Finals in 2015 but was not afraid to show the world a unique performance. He performed a song called “Rhythm Inside” (2015) in Vienna with over 200 million people watching (Eurovision.tv). Nottet performed with much passion and confidence. Nottet stood out from the other performers on stage due to a contrast in colors of clothing. He was wearing black while the backup per...
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Belgium: Blog Post 3

Belgium’s Eurovision performances used nation branding to advertise their country to all of those around the world. Sometimes advertisements do not correctly portray the product, and that is the case here with Belgium. Their use of nation branding did not reflect their national identity. Paul Jordan defines nation banding as “ the phenomenon by which governments engage in self-conscious activities aimed at producing a certain image of the nation state (Bolin & Ståhlberg, 2010, p. 82), can be understood as a commercial practice … as a means for a nation state to redefine and reposition itself within the master narrative of globalization (Jansen 2008).” (Jordan, 2014, P.16) Belgium’s Eurovision performances from 2015-2017 participate in nation branding, and in this blog post I will examine how this compares to the country’s national identity.             In Blog Post One I highlighted that Belgium is a young country that ha...
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Belgium National Identity

        Can a Nation base their national identity off of a single food? When you type the word “Belgium” into the Google search bar in the United States, the first suggested search is “Belgium Flag,” but the second most searched result is “Belgium [sic] Waffles.” When Americans hear of the word Belgium, they seem to associate it with waffles. Obviously, the real national identity of Belgium is not just “a good place for waffles”, but this an example of how the outside world can perceive other countries based on what they see and hear about. National identity is defined by this country has, and by what this country does not have in comparison to others. Anna Triandafyllidou (1998) says that national identity has no meaning at face value or by itself without contrast to others. National Identity is defined by what the country has, but also by what the country does not have in contrast with others ( Triandafyllidou 593-612). Aspects of national identity typically i...
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