The conference Slavery, Resistance and Democracy, held on November 5–7, 2025, at the University of Lausanne, sought to historicize the apparent contradiction between slavery and democracy in the 19th century and to explore its ongoing legacies by examining the economic, political, and cultural networks linking Brazil and Switzerland. It brought together scholars from Brazil, Europe, and the United States who study the history of exchanges in the southern transatlantic world.

The conference opened on November 5 with a Salon Historique featuring Maria Helena P. T. Machado and Rafael de Bivar Marquese of the University of São Paulo, Mary Ann Mahony of Central Connecticut State University, and Béatrice Ziegler of FHNW and the University of Zurich, moderated by conference organizers Izabel Barros and Bernhard C. Schär. The program included well-attended panels on gender, industry, Indigenous agency, trade and finance, the Swiss-German colony Leopoldina, scientific networks, and the legacies of slavery in the 20th century.

The inspiring encounters and discussions during the event laid the groundwork for further developing academic exchange and research on the extensive transatlantic connections that have profoundly shaped both Switzerland and Brazil. All panels, the opening and closing sessions, and the keynote were recorded. The videos are available below, along with interviews conducted by Michal Roost (UniDistance Suisse) with selected conference speakers.

The conference was part of the SNSF Eccellenza research project Moral and Economic Entrepreneurship: A Collaborative History of Global Switzerland, based at the University of Lausanne’s Institute of Political Science. It was organized by the project leader, Bernhard C. Schär, and the PhD researcher Izabel Barros. This event was made possible thanks to the support of the following institutions:

 

Durée du projet

05.11.2025 - 07.11.2025

Collaborateurs

Prof. Dr Bernhard C. Schär
Prof. Dr Bernhard C. Schär Organisator
lic. phil. Michael Schmitz
lic. phil. Michael Schmitz PhD researcher
Bsc Michal Roost
Bsc Michal Roost Master's student