In its latest issue, the Swiss slow journalism magazine Sept Mook explores the colonial Switzerland, revealing how, although without its own colonies, Switzerland has actively participated in European colonial systems. Swiss merchants, bankers, engineers and soldiers have supported, sometimes by force, colonial expansion and exploitation of new territories.
This special issue was initiated by Fabio Rossinelli. He analyzes the discreet but influential links between Switzerland and the colonial empires. Philipp Krauer explores the history of young Swiss soldiers enlisted in colonial armies, while Bernhard Schär traces the life of Louis Wyrsch, a Swiss man who served in the Dutch colonial army and whose son, Alois Wyrsch, became the first Black parliamentarian in Switzerland in the 19th century. Finally, Cédric Humair sheds light on the hidden aspects of this little-known chapter in Swiss national history.
To see the full survey, visit Sept Mook: Sept.info.
text by Anais Raeber.
