The International Studies Association (ISA) presented EUI PhD researcher Zuzanna Samson with the Fred Hartmann Award for her paper on migrant deaths on the Polish-Belarusian border, which she presented at the ISA Northeast Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on 14 November 2025.
"I am honoured to receive this award, especially because it shows that the seriousness of the issue of border deaths is being recognised beyond its local context. I hope my work can contribute not only to academic debates but also to raising awareness about the human consequences of securitising borders and framing migration primarily in terms of risk," Zuzanna shared.
Her paper, Burying the 'unwanted': The response of local communities to migrant deaths on the Polish-Belarusian border, explores how local communities in Poland’s border region responded to the deaths of migrants who had been widely portrayed as ‘outsiders’, and examines why they often expressed compassion through burial rather than aid to the living. Through an ethnographic approach, the study finds that death can trigger postmortem re-humanisation, driven by religious, moral, and political motivations, even among individuals holding anti-immigrant views.
Zuzanna’s findings grew from earlier work in the non-governmental sector supporting migrants and refugees, where she gained direct insight into the struggles they face on their journeys to Europe.
The award committee praised Zuzanna’s paper for the international visibility and academic quality of research conducted at the department.
The International Studies Association presents the Fred Hartmann Award annually to an outstanding graduate student in international relations and political science, recognising scholarly excellence and originality. The award honours Dr. Frederick H. Hartmann, a distinguished international relations scholar born in New York City in 1922.