Friends of Czechoslovakia. The history of Malagasy students in socialist Czechoslovakia and Madagascar in the global Cold War

• Authors: Mikuláš Pešta
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The article focuses on the Malagasy students who obtained scholarships at universities in socialist Czechoslovakia during the late Cold War. Based on the archives, literature, and oral interviews, the paper analyses the selection process for scholarships, difficulties with studies in a foreign language, and the social conditions of the students, including their perception of the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution in 1989 and subsequent rise of racist subcultures. The graduates’ trajectories are also traced back to Madagascar, where the paper assesses if the scholarship programs fulfilled their purpose and to what extent they created opportunities for emigration and reproduced inequality. The history is framed in the context of the Cold War student mobilities, the evolution of global socialism, and the rise of neoliberalism.

Keywords

EN

Czechoslovakia; Madagascar; student mobility; scholarships; Cold War; development

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Masaryk's Institute and Archives, ASCR
• Journal: Střed. Časopis pro mezioborová studia Střední Evropy 19. a 20. století. / Centre. Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies of Central Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 55-74
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Mikuláš Pešta

• Masarykův ústav a archiv AV ČR, v.v.i., Gabčíkova 2362/10, 182 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic