Anna Giluch

Research Topic

Soviet-Central American Relations, 1979 - 1991: Cold War Networks, Exchanges, and Perceptions.

Supervisor: Zbig Wojnowksi

My DPhil research explores the relationship between the Soviet Union and Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala during the Central American crisis (1979–1991) through the transnational exchanges of people, knowledge, and expertise. By examining interactions between Soviet and Central American journalists, students, and specialists, I investigate how these encounters shaped understandings of identity, internationalism, and Cold War ideological landscapes on both sides of the exchange. Moving beyond military and economic exchanges, my project highlights the cultural, scientific, and educational dimensions of Soviet engagement with Central America. In doing so, I not only challenge dominant narratives of Soviet decline and Central American revolutionary failure but also situate this relationship within broader global processes of the late Cold War.

Before my DPhil, I completed a BA in History at University College London and an MSc in History of International Relations at the London School of Economics. My broader research interests include the Cultural Cold War, Soviet-Latin American relations, and Cold War communications.