International Friendship Club in Belgrade (1954–1969): a place of cultural encounters in the Socialist Yugoslavia

Abstract

The paper deals with the reconstructions and reasons for the establishement and operation of the International Friendship Club in Belgrade in the period of its creation until 1969 as well as the analysis of the methods by which it managed to integrate foreign students into Yugoslav society. Starting from the assumption that the arrival of foreign students in the Yugoslav socialist society led to a certain cultural exchange, this research will analyse the way foreign students were integrated into the Yugoslav society by observing the work and structure of an international student club. The time span taken for consideration is interesting for several reasons. The foreign policy orientation of Yugoslavia is directed towards the Non-Aligned Movement, which further initiates cooperation in all socio-economic fields, as well as university cooperation and the opening of Yugoslav universities to foreign students. Observing Belgrade as a university center, and the capital of Yugoslavia at the time, we will be able to form an image of the practical and real power of such policy that involved fostering pacifist ideas, multiculturalism, and peaceful coexistence. In such a sociopolitical community, the International Student Club represented a kind of an indicator of cultural changes.