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to what constitutes a site of imprisonment. Each site of imprisonment has its own unique entry with key information. Another key module is titled ‘Histories,’ which is
a collection of thematic articles detailing police operations and descriptions of arrests, certain historical events, and general overview articles of persecution against diverse groups.
An education module was launched in 2023 and engages students in secondary school and high school. This module, developed in accordance with the national curriculum for history and social studies, consists of tasks relating to prisoner history, thematic assignments on freedom of speech during the Second World War. The pupils are tasked to act as historians and investigate sources and piece together prisoner histories.
Considerations and the Future
Regarding the future development of Fanger, it is particularly important to consider what type of information to make public and how to present it. One fundamental viewpoint in that regard is how to frame the database as a whole: should Fanger present itself as
a public database, a research knowledge base, or a digital memorial? Several opinions exist among its users. As Fanger is the continuation of the work of a former resistance fighter, focusing on Norwegian nationals, its origins is linked to the national Norwegian narrative of the Second World.
A narrative that traditionally emphasises occupier versus occupied – often framed as patriotic memory. In practice, the public engages with the database in diverse ways as they have different intentions. Fanger thereby acts both as a memorial to descendants and is used as a knowledge base by researchers and the wider public.
There are however some themes that might create tensions between these different views. The inclusion of non-Norwegians, such as German nationals who served the occupation regime, may challenge the national memorial framing of the site. Though some of these were imprisoned for resistance activities, others collaborated with the occupation regime in ways that were harmful to other inmates. Another issue comes with the increased knowledge supplied by more personal and prisoner data, showing that the term prisoner does not always correlate with someone resisting the Nazi regime. There are many examples of prisoners being involved with the perpetrators in different capacities, challenging the view of the base as
a national memorial to those who fought against the Nazi and collaborationist regime. Despite these tensions, Fangerstrives to maintain the dignity of each individual listed in the database including those of more complex backgrounds, but who nonetheless ended up in captivity.
There is also an ongoing discussion about the ethics of listing out victim groups that are still stigmatised to this day. One example is Norwegian Romani that still face cases of discrimination in Norwegian society. Another group is prisoners imprisoned for same-gender relationships, where the database currently avoids describing such details due to the privacy of the victims. At the same time, the question remains if hiding such information may risk maintaining the historical stigma of the group. These examples demonstrate that further engaging with several ethical considerations is necessary in developing the database. As we add more marginalised groups, we have a responsibility to do this is an ethical way without giving out sensitive information like sexual orientation and health information. The team in Fanger is also in dialogue with representatives of the groups in question regarding sensitive issues.
Kristian Ottosen did not use prisoner categories in his data collections during the 1980s and 90s. As a result, the database does not yet include categorisations for any individuals and groups. The use of prisoner categories is a complicated matter as it risks reiterating perpetrator categories. In their absence, the topic of categorisations is nonetheless a priority for the team working in Fanger. As categories are vital to systematising information, we are currently discussing on what level we may categorise. Could it be on a personal or a group level? Should categorisation be based on reason for arrest, and if so, how then do we determine reason for arrest where historical interpretation is lacking? How do we reconcile reasons for arrest that may be detrimental to the victim, such as ‘criminal acts,’ for the alleged offenses of being
a ‘homosexual,’ for reasons such as ‘vagrancy,’ or for having a ‘sexual disease’? It is important to not lose sight of the fact that many of these categories are ideological pretexts created by the Nazi regime and the Norwegian collaborationist state, and should be considered as political, social, and racial persecution rather than an objective and descriptive approach to imprisonment. At the same time, we recognise the need to provide an explicit framework for the context of arrests. We are currently developing ways of implementing a level of categorisation, via linking individuals to descriptions of victim groups, ranging from ‘engaged in resistance’ to ‘Jewish victims’ among other examples.
As the financial future of Fanger has become more certain since 2023, the goal is to translate the database into English and continue facilitating international cooperation. The Falstad Centre is currently working on a collaborative project with SINTEF (Stiftelsen for industriell og teknisk forskning, https://www.sintef.no/en/), one of Europe’s largest research institutes, called Enhancing Digital Infrastructure for Historical Person Data(EDISH). The project investigates the possibility of developing a national research infrastructure for historical person data and addresses current linguistic and ethical challenges in the entry and linking of data across different databases. ARKIVET is working on securing funding for
a new documentation project on wartime deportations from occupied Norway to the concentration camps and penitentiaries on the continent. The project aims to fill
a significant gap in our knowledge of transportation methods, routes, and transit places. Over time it is expected to add far more profiles of the exceptionally high number of Soviet Prisoners of War sent to prison camps in Norway. The work to document Norwegian prisoner history and its strikingly transnational entanglements continues.
For any queries or questions concerning the database please contact: post@fanger.no.