Where Were the Swiss? Switzerland and the Making of European Empire

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Switzerland never ruled a colonial empire—but it was never outside empire. Over the past decade, historical research has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of Switzerland’s past, revealing deep Swiss entanglements in the colonial projects of Europe’s imperial powers. These findings challenge conventional narratives of neutrality and innocence and force a broader rethinking of European imperial history itself. This inaugural lecture revisits these debates and asks what changes when countries without colonies are placed at the heart of empire. It argues that imperialism was shaped not only by rivalry, but also by transimperial cooperation, and points toward a global history of Switzerland and Europe that places empire and inequality at its centre.