Simić, I; (2016) Soviet Influences on Yugoslav Gender Policies, 1945-1955. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis explores Soviet influences on Yugoslav gender policies, examining how Yugoslav communists interpreted, adapted and used Soviet ideas to change Yugoslav society. The project sheds new light on the role of Soviet models in producing Yugoslav family and reproductive laws, and in framing the understandings of gender which affected key policies such as the collectivisation of agriculture, labour policies, policies towards Muslim populations, and policies concerning youth sexuality. Through a gender analysis of all these policies, this thesis points to the difficulties of applying Soviet solutions in Yugoslavia. Deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes undermined Yugoslav communists’ ability to challenge gender norms, causing many disputes and struggles within the Communist Party over the meanings and application of Soviet gender models. Yet, Soviet models informed how Yugoslav communists approached gender-related issues for many years, even after the conflict erupted between these two countries. This project contributes to existing scholarship in three key areas. First, it seeks to provide new insights into Yugoslav-Soviet relations, including into the circulation of policies and cultural representations, as well as the broader repercussions of the Yugoslav-Soviet break. Second, it offers a new perspective on the origins, development and implementation of gender policies in Yugoslavia. In examining both abstract models and practices, it further focuses upon the under-researched gap between ideology and practice so as to reveal the power of cultural patterns in shaping daily lives over official policies and ideologies. Finally, it seeks not only to shed light on the neglected history of women, but to contribute to the literature on Yugoslav gender history, especially during the first decade after the Second World War when the roots of many cultural models and practices were formed with long-lasting consequences.

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