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En 1913, un Bureau international de défense des indigènes est fondé à Genève. La protection des indigènes redevient alors une cause internationale dont les objectifs restent cependant assez flous. À partir de 1920, l’installation des institutions internationales à Genève donne un second souffle au Bureau, mais elle souligne aussi sa marginalité, au moment où s’affirment de nouvelles formes d’expertise et où la protection des sujets coloniaux devient un enjeu idéologique pour les empires.

In between imperial gest and international cause : defending native races in Geneva in the 1920sIn 1913, with the foundation of an International Bureau for the Defense of Native Races in Geneva, protecting colonial subjects became once again a controversial issue whose practical aims and means remained largely under discussion. After 1920, Geneva also became the seat of the new international institutions. However sharing the same location underlined that producing international expertise was becoming more and more of a privilege held by official agencies, thus marginalizing advocacy networks such as the Bureau.