Musicology No. 40, Call for Papers: Evolving Perspectives on Aesthetic Education of Children and Youth in Socialist Yugoslavia

Call for papers
Muzikologija – Musicology, No. 40
Deadline for submissions: 15 January 2026

Evolving Perspectives on Aesthetic Education of Children and Youth in Socialist Yugoslavia

Aesthetic education gained significant prominence following the rise to power of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1945. This shift was part of a broader socio-political transformation, rooted in Marx and Engels’ concept of the ‘omnilateral’ development of individuals and humanity and inspired by Soviet educational practices dating back to the 1920s.

Approaches to aesthetic education evolved in line with broader ideological and cultural shifts from the late 1940s until the dissolution of socialist Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. These changes were reflected across multiple domains, including mass organizations, cultural and artistic societies, mass media, and the formal education system, from preschool to university.

This thematic issue aims to map out these changing approaches, explore their development, and analyze how they were implemented in the various sectors giving emphasis to the following topics:

•  Role of mass children’s and youth organizations in fostering aesthetic education, encouraging artistic amateurism, and promoting the appreciation of high art and music among young Yugoslavs.
•  Contributions of cultural and educational institutions, as well as the mass media (particularly radio and television) to the shaping of the artistic and musical tastes of children and young people, with a focus on shifts in the definitions of aesthetic value between the late 1940s and early 1990s.
•  Artistic and musical production specifically created for children and youth.
•  Festivals dedicated to youth art production or centered on art and music intended for younger audiences.
•  Critical examinations of theoretical frameworks developed by Yugoslav cultural and educational policymakers.

Contributors are encouraged to base their case studies on novel and underexplored sources, as well as less well known phenomena, including specific organizations, institutions, festivals, and public figures. Submissions must adhere to the journal’s author guidelines, available at:
https://muzikologija-musicology.com/index.php/MM/about/submissions#authorGuidelines.

The articles should be sent to the address: [email protected].

Guest Editors of the Main Theme,
Dr. Ivana Vesić and Dr. Miloš Marinković, Institute of Musicology SASA