The epoch of socialist Yugoslavia (1945‒1991) was marked by one of the longest periods of peace and prosperity among the South Slavic peoples in modern times. The emancipatory character of the second Yugoslavia referred to both the national and social aspects of its peoples and identities.
In the lecture “Yugoslavia as emancipation – Identity characteristics as the basis of state and social exceptionalism”, Milivoj Bešlin will talk about how Yugoslavia, starting from the anti-fascist struggle and the socialist revolution, over the break with Stalin, to the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement, developed into an important geopolitical subject whose influence exceeded its realistic proportions and possibilities.
In particular the lecture will refer to, on the one hand, anti-fascism, anti-Stalinism, self-management and non-alignment as to the four pillars of the Yugoslav state identity and the frameworks of exceptionalism that sought internal cohesion and political legitimacy. On the other hand, Bešlin will contextualize the frequent constitutional and economic reforms that testified to the constant search for a regulatory formula for the improvement of this specific socialist community.
Milivoj Bešlin is a historian and senior research associate at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade. He taught at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Montenegro. At his home institute, he is the founder and coordinator of the Research Laboratory of Socialism and (Post)Yugoslav Studies (YugoLab). He authored the two-volume monograph Ideas of modern Serbia in socialist Yugoslavia (Akademska knjiga, IFDT, 2022), as well as dozens of professional studies, articles, discussions and reviews.
The lecture is part of the Regional Tea party titled “Yugoslavia” which is organized together with the Academic Network for Cooperation in Southeast Europe. It takes place in the Main hall of the Institute of social sciences, can be followed also online and will be moderated by Irena Ristić (IDN).
https://zoom.us/j/98866006468?pwd=mqydgXvXWd5aa8pxASaScVmHjT2NUq.1
Meeting ID: 988 6600 6468
Passcode: 704825
