Land of the in-between argues that Yugoslavia's political shifts gave rise to a uniquely hybrid architectural culture. The revival of modern architecture that followed was in return instrumental in reinforcing Yugoslavia's new image of a reformed Communist country. At the same time, Yugoslavia reestablished friendly relations with the West, opening itself to influences of Western culture.

But after 1948, the state relaxed its iron grip, allowing for a degree of intellectual and artistic freedom. During the short-lived Stalinist period, the regime subjected Yugoslav culture to the doctrine of Socialist Realism. These two moments correspond to two distinct phases that shaped architecture in socialist Yugoslavia: a period of intense Stalinization immediately after WW II, and a period of gradual liberalization after the country's sudden break-up with the Soviet Union. Consequences of two key moments are explored: the rise to power of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1945, and its expulsion from the Soviet bloc in 1948. This dissertation follows two lines of investigation: transformations of architectural profession, and changes in the modes of architectural representation of the state. During the Cold War, Yugoslavia deliberately positioned itself halfway between the Eastern and Western blocs, thus representing an excellent case for a study of shifting political meanings ascribed to architecture at that time. Self-proclaimed as universal and abstract, modernism acquired a variety of specific meanings hidden behind seemingly neutral forms that, however, frequently contained decidedly political dimensions.

Land of the in-between explores how modern architecture responded to demands for political and ideological representation during the Cold War using socialist Yugoslavia as a case-study.

The inbetween land