Sofia Vieira Lopes, integrated researcher at INET-md, authors the chapter “Le Concours Eurovision de la chanson en tant qu’expérience musicale : acteurs et agents, fandom et gatekeeping”, included in the book Comprendre l’Eurovision: Politiques, publics et imaginaires européens (MFK, 2026), directed by Lisa Bolz and Sébastien Appiotti.
The chapter by Sofia Vieira Lopes presents a long-term ethnography of the Festival RTP da Canção and the Eurovision Song Contest, focusing on fans as active agents in the construction of musical and identity-related meanings. Drawing on a study of OGAE-Portugal, it analyses practices such as collecting and online content production, highlighting fans as co-creators of the event. The Eurovision experience is understood as multidimensional, extending beyond the televised show to include social, emotional, and participatory dynamics, while also questioning the institutional recognition of fans and their role in the contest’s future.