Authors

Tatjana Šarić¹;  ¹ Croatian State Archives, Croatia

Discussion

In my conference presentation, I will discuss the overlooked topic of women Cominform migrants, a unique aspect of Yugoslav emigration. The focus is on their migration patterns and identities during the conflict between Yugoslavia and the USSR following the 1948 Cominform Resolution. Many of these women relocated to Eastern Bloc countries for education, work, or marriage to Cominform emigrants and were classified by Yugoslav authorities as hostile emigrants. After relations normalized in 1953, some returned to Yugoslavia but remained under constant surveillance by the State Security Service. I will explore surveillance practices and their impact on these women's lives and how these practices reflected broader societal attitudes toward women in Yugoslavia. The presentation will highlight individual cases to reveal diverse experiences, including political activism, intelligence collaboration, and marginalization within emigrant communities. Using previously unexplored archival materials from the Croatian State Archives, the research geographically focuses on the USSR, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, as well as the return of some women to Yugoslavia. This presentation aims to shed light on significant moments in this chapter on Yugoslav emigration and foster discussions on the intersections of migration, gender, and state surveillance.