How can we recover the experiences and agency of stateless persons, when they teeter on the edge of visibility in a world where nationality is considered fundamental to identity? While researching post-World War II “Displaced Persons” (or DPs), Ismee Tames came across forms on which DPs wrote the word “Nansen” or “Nansenist” under “nationality”. These were individuals who had been displaced more than once, and been granted a so-called Nansen Passport by the League of Nations after World War I. In this conversation, recorded on 9 January 2025, Ismee and Ozan discuss how the Norwegian polar explorer-turned-diplomat Fridtjof Nansen (after whom these documents were named) came to be appointed as the League’s first High Commissioner for Refugees. They then consider the concept of “communities of care” that Ismee has been using in her research. This tool enables us to see beyond official documents and explore how stateless people took care of each other and themselves, assisted by allies in the communities in which they found themselves. After considering the implications of this research for today’s world, Ismee introduces the topic of her next book, planned for publication in 2027.

As long as we believe that it’s necessary that we erase people because we are afraid of them, then we will keep doing these things — maybe sometimes in lesser versions, but when we get more and more scared we refer back to these practices. Is this really what we want? There are different ways of organizing ourselves that are less violent.

Episode 65 – Nansen’s People

Podcasts are published by TLP for the purpose of encouraging informed debate on the legacies of the events surrounding the Lausanne Conference. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TLP, its partners, convenors or members.