Die koloniale Schweiz? Die postkoloniale Schweiz!

Abstract

This paper shows Switzerland’s involvement in colonialism. Swiss actors participated in the slave trade or benefited otherwise from the colonial system. This linkage was accompanied by the construction of the «colonial Other», which was also important for the formation of Swiss identity in the course of the nation building process. In the paper, the « othering» is illustrated by three examples: the science, the so called «Völkerschauen», («human zoos») and on the basis of a selected textbook of the 19th century