Honors Projects

Abstract

The Non-Alignment Movement has been covered extensively in Cold War scholarship, yet the relationship between Yugoslavia and Indonesia is often underexplored, especially in the realm of IR theory. This project examines Yugoslavia and Indonesia between 1945 and 1966 to propose an imagined community, as conceptualized by Benedict Anderson, that serves as a microcosm for a wider Non-Aligned community in the Third World. This is achieved by using Social Constructivism to synthesize the histories, foreign policies, and national/political identities of these two nations, and then placing the theoretical community against Yugoslavia’s relationships with the U.S and the USSR for contrast. Through analysis of secondary sources from a variety of historical and political scholars, as well as the behavior of leaders Josip Broz Tito and Sukarno, the project concludes that Yugoslavia, Indonesia, and much of the Non-Alignment Movement is invisibly connected through colonial experience, “positive” neutrality, global activism, ethnic diversity and conflict, and identity that is largely grounded in both nationalism and disunity. The thesis opens up research avenues for other nations such as India, Egypt, Cuba, and Guatemala, which could also be integrated into the Non-Aligned community in future studies.

Department

History

Major

History

First Advisor

Dr. Stefan Fritsch

First Advisor Department

Political Science

Second Advisor

Dr. Savitri Kunze

Second Advisor Department

History

Publication Date

Spring 4-27-2026

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