In this episode, Iva Jelušić and Florian Bieber talk about the El Shatt refugee camp in Egypt that operated during the final two years of World War II. The conversation provides an overview of the functioning of this camp, the life of the people in it, and the aspects that made it a well-organized as well as a joyful establishment, which was different from other refugee camps.

You can see images from the camp in the WarFun visual archive.

Florian Bieber is a political scientist and historian working on inter-ethnic relations, ethnic conflict and nationalism, focusing on Southeastern Europe. He is a Professor in South-East European History and Politics and director of the Center for South East European Studies at the University of Graz. He coordinates the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group and is President of the Association for the Study of Nationalities. Florian has published widely, with his most recent books including Negotiating Unity and Diversity in the European Union (with Roland Bieber, 2021), as well as Debating Nationalism. Other published books include, The Global Spread of Nations and The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans (both published in 2020). The book Hvar in the Modern Age: Identity and Change in Southeastern Europe, which is mentioned in the conversation, is expected to be published in 2024.

Iva Jelušić is a post-doctoral researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.