Publisher: Cornell University Press

In The Cold War from the Margins, Theodora K. Dragostinova reappraises the global 1970s from the perspective of a small socialist state—Bulgaria—and its culturalengagements with the Balkans, the West, and the Third World. During this anxious decade, Bulgaria's communist leadership invested heavily in cultural diplomacy to bolster its legitimacy at home and promote its agendas abroad. Bulgarians traveled the world to open museum exhibitions, show films, perform music, and showcase the cultural heritage and future aspirations of their "ancient yet modern" country.

As Dragostinova shows, these encounters transcended the Cold War's bloc mentality: Bulgaria's relations with Greece and Austria warmed, émigrés once considered enemies were embraced, and new cultural ties were forged with India, Mexico, and Nigeria. Pursuing contact with the West and solidarity with the Global South boosted Bulgaria's authoritarian regime by securing new allies and unifying its population. Complicating familiar narratives of both the 1970s and late socialism, The Cold War from the Margins places the history of socialism in an international context and recovers alternative models of global interconnectivity along East-South lines.

Thanks to generous funding from The Ohio State University Libraries and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories.

Purchasing Information

ISBN13: 9781501755552

ISBN10: 1501755552

Publication date: 05/15/2021

Pages: 330

Illustrations: 40 b&w halftones

Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0 in

"Dragostinova's thoughtful and accessible book tells a fascinating story about the importance of cultural diplomacy and international soft power politics. It will radically reshape the way historians and anthropologists understand the role of small states during the Cold War."

--Kristen Ghodsee, University of Pennsylvania, author of Second World, Second Sex

"Dragostinova explores the intriguing cultural history of Bulgaria during... the "long 1970s." Culture, represented by the mysterious figure of Liudmila Zhivkova, had crucial domestic and international dimensions. Particularly fascinating and revealing are the author's explorations of Bulgaria's involvements in India, Mexico, and Nigeria."

--Norman M. Naimark, Stanford University, author of Stalin and the Fate of Europe

"The Cold War from the Margins is an excellent book that breaks new ground. Dragostinova provides previously unknown information and fresh analysis for the better understanding of the development of state socialism, especially in Bulgaria; and also makes an important contribution to the growing literature on the global entanglement of state socialist countries."

--Ulf Brunnbauer, University of Regensburg, author of Globalizing Southeast Europe