A gathering of ‘technical theorists’? Situating the ISI within the field of international statistics through the prism of the migration debates (1887–1938)

ABSTRACT This contribution analyses the discussions at the International Statistical Institute (ISI) on the development of an international framework for monitoring migration, from the first session of the ISI (1887) to the last congress before the Second World War (1938). The findings show how the international concept of migration emerged in the period under review and the authors explore how the ISI navigated the field of international statistics that was in the making. Their aim is to examine the specific position of the ISI in this space of tension between science, national administrations and international organizations. The authors focus especially on relations with the International Labour Office from 1919 onwards.