The Dynamics of Atheization in Postwar Communist Montenegro

Authors

  • Todor Lakić Teaching Assistant
  • Boris Vukićević Faculty of Political Science University of Montenegro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7946-462X
  • Saša Knežević Faculty of Political Science University of Montenegro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35469/poligrafi.2025.474

Keywords:

Secularization, Atheism, Montenegro, Communism, Religious Communities

Abstract

This article presents the concept and dynamics of secularization policies and the atheization process in Montenegrin society following World War II. The process of secularization began with the Communist Party’s rise to power and had its most significant manifestations until the mid-1950s. In this research, in addition to the specific secularization policies of the communist authorities, an analysis of the relationship of the state, that is, the communist authorities, towards the religious communities in Montenegro is given. Montenegro was the Yugoslav republic in which the process of atheization and secularization took place most intensively in relation to the federal level. The research presented in the article also includes an analysis of the results of the secularization of the three largest religious communities in Montenegro.

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Author Biographies

Boris Vukićević, Faculty of Political Science University of Montenegro

Full professor in the field of international relations and diplomacy and dean of the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Montenegro. The focuses of his research are contemporary international relations, diplomacy, and the organization of the Holy See as well as the history of diplomacy.

Saša Knežević, Faculty of Political Science University of Montenegro

Full professor in the field of international relations and diplomacy and former dean of the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Montenegro. His academic researches include the foreign policy of Montenegro, the foreign policy of Great Britain, the history of diplomacy, the theory of diplomacy and overall international relations in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Published

2025-07-07

How to Cite

Lakić, Todor, Boris Vukićević, and Saša Knežević. 2025. “The Dynamics of Atheization in Postwar Communist Montenegro”. Poligrafi 30 (117/118):79-113. https://doi.org/10.35469/poligrafi.2025.474.

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 117/118 (2025): Between Revival and Atheization: Statecraft, Identity, and Religious Transformation in Former Yugoslavia

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Todor Lakić, Boris Vukićević, Saša Knežević

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