Arab Students in the USSR Art Institutes in 1959–1979: Ideology and Life Worlds

Abstract During the 1950s the Soviet Union created a dedicated exchange program intended to attract Arab artists and scholars from around the world. This educational plan was implemented in the USSR through two main strategies: by introducing propaganda and ideology into daily life, and educating art students in the artistic method of Socialist Realism. In this essay I address the process of realizing this ideological strategy and its functionality, I will explore the relations between students and their art institutes, and discuss the problem of Arab students’ adaptation to the new environment and the difficulties caused by cultural differences, as well as their subsequent fates and their contacts with the institutes after completing their studies and returning to their homelands.