FACTORS THAT PROMOTED AND FACTORS THAT HINDERED COLD WAR ACADEMIC MOBILITIES: THE CASE OF STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS FROM SOCIALIST ROMANIA TO WEST GERMANY
Études balkaniques (Sofia) 2024, N 4, DOI: https://doi.org/10.62761/645.EB.LX4.03
Irina NASTASĂ-MATEI
University of Bucharest, Romania
Abstract: This article aims to analyze in depth a specific case of Cold War mobility: that of Romanian students and researchers in West Germany. After explaining the context and the milestones of this academic collaboration, the analysis explores extensively the factors that promoted Romania as one of the closest academic collaborators of West Germany from the Socialist bloc during the decade between 1965 and 1975, and then the factors that led to a decline in this academic collaboration between 1975 and 1989. This analytical framework aims to shed light on the fluctuating dynamics of the Cold War, the importance of the international context when discussing cultural matters, the crucial national characteristics and dynamics that shaped these exchanges, and the significant role of academic exchanges in the soft power strategies and cultural diplomacy of the countries involved.
Keywords: Cold War; academic exchanges; fellowship schemes; Romania; West Germany