Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade organized an online workshop revisiting the role of Yugoslavia in the Non-Aligned Movement, February 23 -26, 2021.
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a collaboration that began formally with a summit conference in Belgrade in 1961, has rarely been studied as a kind of ‘alter’ or ‘prior’ globalization. The partnership between socialist Yugoslavia and states in what we now term the Global South played a key role in processes of decolonization, in reducing the threat of nuclear war in a world dominated by two superpowers and two main blocs, and in the establishment of a new international economic order. Although conceived, very much, as a top-down, inter-state initiative, it created a space for meaningful transnational exchanges in the realm of science, art and culture, architecture and industry that continue to have relevance and impact today.
Revisiting NAM’s work during the Cold War is of much more than mere historical significance. As well as allowing for an understanding of prior globalizations and transnational co-operation otherwise, it offers a unique insight into social, cultural, political and economic imaginaries that challenged a dominant hegemonic order, reworked ‘core-periphery’ relations and, crucially, advocated for self-determination free of both colonial and neo-colonial governmentality.
These dialogues, over four consecutive days, a collaboration between The Institute of Economics, Zagreb, The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, constitute a forum for discussion of the relevance of historical movements for today’s world not in a narrow sense of direct applicability but, rather, in terms of teasing out lessons that can be learned from the contradictions and complexities of the non-aligned movement. Conceived as a series of interlocking contributions, with an emphasis on debate and disagreement rather than false consensus, the workshop aims to contribute to debates on ‘global Yugoslavia’ and to the study of socialist and decolonial relations.
DAY 1 – FEBRUARY 23
TRANSCONTINENTALISM AND THE ECONOMIC IMAGINARIES OF NON-ALIGNMENT
Chair: Paul Stubbs
SESSION #1
- Introductory Remarks: Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Krunoslav Stojaković) EIZG, IFDT
- Nemanja Radonjić, Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia “A Nonaligned Continent: Africa in the Global Imaginary of Socialist Yugoslavia“
- Agustin Cosovschi, Centre d’Études Turques, Ottomanes, Balkaniques et Centrasi- atiques, Paris, and La Contemporaine, Nanterre, France. “From Santiago to Mexico: The Yugoslav Enterprise in Latin America During the Cold War and the Limits of Non-Alignment“
- Commentary: Ljubica Spaskovska, University of Exeter, UK Break
SESSION #2
- Dubravka Sekulić, Royal College of Art, London, UK. “The Sun Never Sets on Energoprojekt … Until It Does: The Yugoslav construction industry in the nonaligned world“
- Jure Ramšak, Science and Research Centre, Koper, Slovenia. “Shades of North-South Economic Détente: Nonaligned Yugoslavia and Neutral Austria Compared“
- Commentary: Johanna Bockman, George Mason University, USA.
DAY 2 – FEBRUARY 24
INTERNATIONALISM, PRAGMATISM, IDEALISM
Chair: Jelena Vasiljević
SESSION #1
- Peter Willetts, City, University of London, UK. “The Non-Aligned Movement as an International Institution“
- Chiara Bonfiglioli, University College Cork, Ireland. “Representing Women’s Non-Aligned encounters: a view from Yugoslavia“
- Commentary: Konstantin Kilibarda, York University, Canada
SESSION #2
- Tvrtko Jakovina, University of Zagreb, Croatia. “Pragmatism and Idealism in Yugoslav Non-alignment“
- Gal Kirn, TU Dresden, Germany. “Alternative Alignment: socialist Yugoslavia and the road to non-alignment“
- Commentary: Vladimir Unkovski-Korica, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
DAY #3 – FEBRUARY 25 – CULTURAL CIRCULATIONS AND NON-ALIGNED MODERNITIES
Chair: Ksenija Forca
SESSION #1
- Bojana Videkanić, University of Waterloo, Canada. “Nonaligned Modernisms: Yugoslav art and postcolonial cultural practices within global modernisms”
- Mila Turajlić, Sciences Po, Paris, France. “Screen Solidarities: Yugoslavia’s cinematic links to the non-aligned world“
- Commentary: Nataša Kovačević, Eastern Michigan University, USA Break
SESSION #2
- Ljiljana Kolešnik, Institute of Art History, Zagreb, Croatia. “Decentered Circulations: reconceptualizing Yugoslav non-aligned cultural politics“
- Bojana Piškur, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, Slovenia and Đorđe Balmazović, Škart collective, Ljubljana/Belgrade. “Non-aligned cross-cultural pollination: a short graphic novel”
- Commentary: Aida Hozić, Florida State University, USA.
DAY #DAY 4 – FEBRUARY 26 – MOBILITIES AND MIGRATIONS
Chair: Krunoslav Stojaković
SESSION #1
- Leonora Dugonjić-Rodwin, Uppsala University, Sweden. “Destination Yugoslavia: the non-aligned trajectories of international students, 1960 – 1990“
- David Henig, University of Utrecht, Netherlands and Maple Razsa, Colby College, USA. “New Borders, Old Solidarities: (Post-)Cold War genealogies of mobility along the ‘Balkan route’”
- Commentary: Catherine Baker, University of Hull, UK
CONCLUSIONS
Panel: Socialist Yugoslavia and the Convivialities, Contradictions and Contestations of Non-Alignment
Moderator: Igor Štiks (Belgrade)Panelists: Rada Iveković (Paris), Boris Kanzleiter (Berlin) and Paul Stubbs (Zagreb)
