The Untold Story of Schengen: A Conversation with Isaac Stanley-Becker

In this episode, investigative journalist and historian Isaac Stanley-Becker discusses his revealing new book, Europe Without Borders: A History (Princeton University Press). Drawing on newly accessible archives and in-depth interviews, Stanley-Becker sheds light on the little-known origins of the Schengen Agreement—long celebrated as a cornerstone of European integration and free movement. Yet, as this conversation uncovers, the story behind Schengen is far more complex. The book reveals how the agreement was forged through diplomatic secrecy, reinforced surveillance systems, and the tightening of external borders, often at the expense of migrants from former European colonies. The podcast explores how these contradictions were built into Schengen from the start, how postcolonial activist movements like the sans-papiers challenged its exclusionary logic, and whether the original vision of a borderless Europe can survive in the face of renewed nationalism, migration crises, and the erosion of trust in European unity. It’s a conversation that opens up vital questions about the meaning of freedom, belonging, and mobility in today’s Europe.