These questions lie at the heart of our research group’s work, which focuses in particular on Switzerland during the “long nineteenth century.” Although Switzerland did not possess a formal colonial empire, it was nevertheless deeply entangled in European imperialism through a wide range of activities, including missionary, commercial, financial, scientific, and military engagements. Examining the Swiss case makes it possible to move beyond interpretations centred on competition between formal empires and instead to highlight transimperial networks and modes of cooperation among European actors. Against this backdrop, the research group analyses how processes of European integration emerged from the global contexts of imperial expansion.
This research group is partnered with the University of Lausanne and includes the following collaborators:
- Izabel Barros: PhD Student – Université de Lausanne
- Dr Amal Shahid: Post-doctoral researcher – Université de Lausanne
