Yugoslav-Soviet Union relations from the 1950s to 1970s: Cooperation, Exchange, and Cultural Transfer through the Composers’ Association of Serbia (UKS) and the Union of Yugoslav Composers (SAKOJ)

The study situates Yugoslav-Soviet musical relations within the broader socio-political context of post-World War II diplomacy, highlighting the impact of the 1948 Cominform resolution, the 1955 Belgrade and Moscow Declarations, and the liberalizing cultural policies of the 1960s. In this paper, we examined in greater detail the context of SAKOJ’s and UKS’s activities, and then, based on specific examples, illustrate how intercultural cooperation between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union functioned. We highlighted the key problematic aspects of these relations, specifically through examples of music cooperation, exchange, and cultural transfer from the 1950s to the 1970s, such as the mechanisms of exchange of cultural workers and the principles of establishing copyright. We emphasized the significance of operating through institutional structures, and the role of associations in this process. Based on our research, it could be concluded that the SAKOJ/UKS adopted a strategic and interest-given relation to the Soviet Union. With respective members, presidents, and secretaries, and other board members, profiled cooperation with the Soviet Union was proposed by exchange of delegates for guest composers and music writers, as well as through performance and promotion of Yugoslav and Soviet repertoire.