Colloquium

“We are not affected” – Switzerland and colonialism

With Andreas Zangger
4 Jul 2015 | Johann Jacobs Museum

The colloquium is organized on the occasion of the play Sturm in Patumbah by the group Mass + Fieber

The Caribbean philosopher Frantz Fanon once called Europe provocatively a product of the colonies. Western expansionism, as we know, commenced during the Renaissance, shaping the continent until today in almost any regard. This is particularly true of Switzerland with its highly globalized economy. So what are we talking about when we talk of “Switzerland”?

For this colloquium Andreas Zangger invites two research fellows from History and Cultural studies to discuss new trends in the historical research on Switzerland.

Dr. Lea Haller, Historian (University of Zurich/University of Geneva)
Dr. des. Rohit Jain, Anthropologist (University of Zurich)

 

Dr Andreas Zangger, originally from Switzerland, is a freelance historian living in Amsterdam. In his PhD thesis, which was published in 2011 as Koloniale Schweiz, he examined the relationships between Switzerland, Singapore and Sumatra in the late colonial era.

 

Title image: Free citizens searching for fugitive slaves, France, late 18th century.