Key visual of the exhibition «colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements»

colonial

Switzerland’s Global Entanglements

Exhibition | accessibility.time_to

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Exhibition

Swiss citizens and companies were heavily involved in the colonial system from the 16th century onwards. Some Swiss companies and private individuals took part in the transatlantic slave trade and earned a fortune from the trade in colonial goods and exploitation of slave labour. Swiss men and women travelled the globe as missionaries. Other Swiss, driven by poverty or a thirst for adventure, served as mercenaries in European armies sent to conquer colonial territory or crush uprisings by the indigenous population. Swiss experts also placed their knowledge at the disposal of the colonial powers. And the racial theories prevalent at the time, which were used to justify the colonial system, formed part of the curriculum at the universities of Zurich and Geneva.

The exhibition at the National Museum Zurich draws on the latest research findings and uses concrete examples, illustrated with objects, works of art, photographs and documents, to present the first-ever comprehensive overview of Switzerland's history of colonial entanglement. And by drawing parallels to contemporary issues, it also explores the question of what this colonial heritage means for present-day Switzerland.

The exhibition includes objects, images and terms, which are racist and discriminatory. They are historical testimonies to the then reigning Western notion of superiority. Captions featuring brackets offer additional information on the exhibits in question. If you have any queries, please go to info@nationalmuseum.ch

Guided tours

Key visual of the exhibition «colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements»

colonial – Introductory tour

Guided tour for private groups

Swiss society has become ever more globally connected since the 16th century. How was Switzerland involved in colonialism? Who took an active role in it and in what role? Viewed from a range of perspectives, eleven spheres of activity offer insights into Switzerland's colonial history.

Tour: 1 hour

Guided tours can be arranged outside opening hours: Mon between 9.30 am and 6 pm, Tue to Fri between 9.30 am and 7.45 pm. Sat and Sun between 10 am and 5 pm

Registration:  

 2 weeks in advance

Duration:

 

60 minutes; special packages can be offered on request

Group size:

 

max. 25 participants per tour

Languages:

 

English, German, Italian, French. Other offers upon request.

Cost:


 

 

CHF 180 for the guided tour + CHF 10 admission per person

Children up to 16 years free.

For groups of people with permit N, S, B, F (refugee) or F (foreigner), the guided tour and admission are free of charge.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

+41 44 218 66 00 reservationen@nationalmuseum.ch

colonial – Connect and reflect

Guided tour for private groups

The legacy of European colonialism continues to influence the world to this day. What does colonialism have to do with Switzerland and us as a people? What insights do the exhibits offer into the history of exploitation, racism, and resistance? In small groups, students discuss Swiss involvement, contemporary debates, and how colonialism relates to their own lives.  

Interactive tour: 1.5 hours

Guided tours can be arranged outside opening hours: Mon between 9.30 am and 6 pm, Tue to Fri between 9.30 am and 7.45 pm. Sat and Sun between 10 am and 5 pm

Registration:  

 2 weeks in advance

Duration:

 

90 minutes; special packages can be offered on request

Group size:

 

max. 25 participants per tour

Languages:

 

English, German, Italian, French. Other offers upon request.

Cost:


 

 

CHF 270 for the guided tour + CHF 10 admission per person

Children up to 16 years free.

For groups of people with permit N, S, B, F (refugee) or F (foreigner), the guided tour and admission are free of charge.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

+41 44 218 66 00 reservationen@nationalmuseum.ch

colonial – Objects of controversy

Guided tour for private groups

Colonial history is defined by oppression, exploitation, and resistance. How can its story be told without further propagating a racist and discriminatory worldview? What challenges are involved in visualizing problematic content? Visitors are encouraged to view the exhibition through critical eyes and together to think about the limits of what can be shown.

Tour: 1 hour

This tour is bookable only outside of museum opening hours.

Guided tours can be arranged outside opening hours: Mon between 9.30 am and 6 pm, Tue to Fri between 9.30 am and 7.45 pm. Sat and Sun between 10 am and 5 pm

Registration:  

 2 weeks in advance

Duration:

 

60 minutes; special packages can be offered on request

Group size:

 

max. 25 participants per tour

Languages:

 

English, German, Italian, French. Other offers upon request.

Cost:


 

 

CHF 180 for the guided tour + CHF 10 admission per person

Children up to 16 years free.

For groups of people with permit N, S, B, F (refugee) or F (foreigner), the guided tour and admission are free of charge.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

+41 44 218 66 00 reservationen@nationalmuseum.ch

Schools

Key visual of the exhibition «colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements»

colonial – Introductory tour

Secondary level I and II

Swiss society has become ever more globally connected since the 16th century. How was Switzerland involved in colonialism? Who took an active role in it and in what role? Viewed from a range of perspectives, eleven spheres of activity offer insights into Switzerland's colonial history.

1 hour
Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

Please note this exhibition contains images that visitors might find disturbing.

Guided tours in English can be arranged, even outside opening hours. Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

Booking:  

at least 2 weeks in advance

Duration:

 

1 hour guided tours, other services by prior arrangement

Group size:

 

max. 25 people

Cost:
 

 

Guided tours for school classes from Switzerland are free of charge.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

+41 44 218 66 00 reservationen@nationalmuseum.ch

colonial – Connect and reflect

Secondary level I and II

The legacy of European colonialism continues to influence the world to this day. What does colonialism have to do with Switzerland and us as a people? What insights do the exhibits offer into the history of exploitation, racism, and resistance? In small groups, students discuss Swiss involvement, contemporary debates, and how colonialism relates to their own lives.

Interactive tour: 1.5 hours
Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

Please note this exhibition contains images that visitors might find disturbing.

 

Guided tours in English can be arranged, even outside opening hours. Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

Booking:  

at least 2 weeks in advance

Duration:

 

1 hour guided tours, other services by prior arrangement

Group size:

 

max. 25 people

Cost:
 

 

Guided tours for school classes from Switzerland are free of charge.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

+41 44 218 66 00 reservationen@nationalmuseum.ch
Key visual of the exhibition «colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements»

Introduction for teachers

Virtual tour of the exhibition with suggestions on working with students at secondary level I and above. Hosted by the exhibition's curator Marina Amstad, and Pia Regli of the museum's education service.

This virtual tour will run on Zoom. On registering, participants will receive an individual access code.

 Mon 16.09.2024 | 16:30 - 18:00 h

Teaching materials

Available to download once the exhibition opens, the pedagogical commentary for teachers will offer insight into the exhibition and suggestions on how to approach the subject in the classroom.

Independent viewing

With advance notice, teachers from any location in Switzerland can visit the exhibition independently and free of charge.

Guided tours in English can be arranged, even outside opening hours. Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

Booking:  

at least 2 weeks in advance

Duration:

 

1 hour guided tours, other services by prior arrangement

Group size:

 

max. 25 people

Cost:
 

 

Guided tours for school classes from Switzerland are free of charge.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

+41 44 218 66 00 reservationen@nationalmuseum.ch

Blog articles

Publication

colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements

Switzerland has been globally connected and entangled with colonies established by the seafaring European nations in Africa, the Americas, and Asia since the 16th century. colonial—Switzerland’s Global Entanglements offers a timely overview of this highly topical matter, placing a wide range of aspects in historical context and addressing as well questions of colonial continuities.

Contributions by distinguished scholars and experts from various disciplines investigate questions such as the involvement of Swiss companies in the trade with enslaved people, Swiss mercenaries in the service of colonial powers, the colonial legacy of the country’s missionary societies, and the research and collection of artefacts by Swiss scientists in former colonies. Light is shed also on the involvement of anthropological institutes at the universities of Zurich and Geneva in scientific racism.

Conceived as an illustrated reader, this volume is both an invitation and a stimulus to explore and to engage critically with Switzerland’s history of global interdependence.

Paperback
284 pages, 49 color and 12 b/w illustrations
16 x 23 cm
664 g
ISBN 978-3-03942-211-1

Media

colonial – Switzerland’s Global Entanglements

National Museum Zurich | 13.9.2024 - 19.1.2025
published on 11.9.2024

The National Museum Zurich is presenting its first ever comprehensive and multi-perspectival overview of Switzerland’s colonial past. It takes the form of an exhibition based on the latest research, and draws on biographies as well as using objects, artworks, photographs and written documents for illustration.

The exhibition comprises two parts. The first part defines eleven themes, with many examples of how Swiss people, businesses and communities were involved in colonialism from the 16th century. The geographical scope covers North and South America through Africa to Asia. A number of Swiss companies and private individuals participated in the transatlantic slave trade and amassed a fortune from trading in colonial products and exploiting enslaved people. Swiss missionaries travelled the world and left Switzerland to found settlement colonies and cultivate supposedly unpopulated land. Others, driven by poverty or a thirst for adventure, served as mercenaries in European armies, undertook colonial conquests and crushed uprisings by indigenous populations. Back home, science played its part in shaping the perception of people in the colonies, in addition to the letters and reports sent from colonial lands. Scientists at the universities of Zurich and Geneva formulated race theories that gained international credence and helped legitimise the colonial system.

The second part of the exhibition addresses the legacy of colonialism and its impact on present-day Switzerland. It reveals the effects of colonialism that still persist – such as global wealth inequality and environmental issues. The main emphasis, however, is on debates of direct relevance to the Swiss people: for example, should street names or monuments to people who were involved in colonialism be altered or knocked down or is that erasing history? Visitors are invited to join the discussion and leave their thoughts at the exhibition.

Researchers from different disciplines have released publications on Switzerland’s colonial entanglements in recent years. Museums have also recognised the significance of the issue, as shown in the exhibitions on display this autumn, for example.

The exhibition at the National Museum Zurich is the first to offer featuring a multi-thematic overview of Switzerland’s history of colonial entanglement. It features numerous voices and considers the issue from the perspective of different regions, action areas and positions. Contributions from artists including Denise Bertschi, Sasha Huber, Chris Pappan, Mathias C. Pfund, Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige and Dom Smaz add valuable insights. The exhibition also incorporates extracts from exchanges with the public and with various experts and actors. An international scientific advisory board oversaw the conceptualisation.

Besides a comprehensive educational programme for schools created with historian Ashkira Darman, the exhibition offers an extensive supporting programme with interactive tours, meetings, panel discussions and focus events in cooperation with ETH Zurich and the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

Images

Chintz

Printed cotton fabrics were among the most important trade goods in exchange for enslaved people. This fragment is probably the only preserved piece that was produced specifically for this kind of exchange. Le lion et la chèvre, Manufactory Petitpierre & Cie, Nantes, around 1790, woodblock print on cotton

Swiss National Museum

Human trafficking

The group of figures shows the sale of an enslaved person. The figures’ dress style leaves open room for interpretation: it is not clear whether the work is to be interpreted as pro or anti-slavery. What we do know is that the owners and artisans of the porcelain manufactory had connections to abolitionist groups as well as to people who were involved in the slave trade, thus making a clear interpretation impossible. Menschenhandel, manufactory Kilchberg-Schooren, around 1775, porcelain, painted

Swiss National Museum

Maryland

Karl Krüsi (1855–1925) worked on Swiss plantations in the Dutch East Indies. In 1881 he bought his own estate and named it after his wife Mary. He sold up in 1893, and with his fortune he had Villa Sumatra built in what is now Zurich’s Sumatrastrasse. Manager House in Deli, Karl Krüsi, Sumatra, 1885

Swiss National Museum

‘The wee planter’

In the plantation economy on Sumatra, then part of the Dutch colonial territory, Swiss as white Europeans benefit from colonial arrangements such as access to land or cheap labour. Swiss tobacco plantation administrator from Stäfa with his son, Kotari, 1921

Private property

Symbol of imperial power

The sun helmet identified its wearer as a colonial ruler. It was worn for protection against the heat and other dangers. The colonial dress code also served to set the colonizers apart from the colonized. Pith helmet, probably Congo, late 19th c.

Musée d'ethnographie de Genève

Arnold Heim

This Swiss geologist (1882–1965) conducted research on every continent. Many of his trips were funded by oil companies. Over the course of his career, he became an environmentalist and advocate of decolonization. Virunga Expedition, Lake Mutanda (Uganda), 1954

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

Colonial science

At the end of the 19th century, Fritz and Paul Sarasin undertook research in British-controlled Ceylon and Celebes in the Dutch East Indies; they also went big-game hunting, however. The calf of this slain elephant was delivered to Basel Zoo. The Sarasins in Sri Lanka, 1883–1907

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

New authority for Swiss ‘racial research’

Marc-Rodolphe Sauter (1914–1983) kept racial research going in Geneva. In his research, he tried to prove that the European population was divided into separate ‘races’, not least in an attempt to lend Swiss racial research new authority after WWII. Marc Roldolphe Sauter, before 1952

Bibliothèque de Genève

Toppling monuments

In 2021 the Geneva-based artist Mathias C. Pfund placed his upended and reduced-scale copy of the statue of David de Pury (1709–1786), who was involved in the ‘triangular trade’ and who therefore had a hand in the trade with enslaved people alongside the original that was raised in Neuchatel in 1855. Mathias C. Pfund, Great in the concrete, 2022, Bronze

Swiss National Museum

View of the exhibition

Swiss National Museum

View of the exhibition

Swiss National Museum

View of the exhibition

Swiss National Museum

View of the exhibition

Swiss National Museum

View of the exhibition

Swiss National Museum

National Museum Zurich press contact

+41 44 218 65 64 medien@nationalmuseum.ch

Other exhibitions on the topic

Numerous other exhibitions are organised on the subject of colonialism.

Exhibition imprint

  • Overall management Denise Tonella
  • Curators and Concept Marina Amstad, Pascale Meyer, Raphael Schwere, Marilyn Umurungi
  • Project direction Marina Amstad
  • Curatorial Support Heidi Amrein
  • Scenography Alex Harb
  • Exhibition graphic  Selina Locher
  • Project coordination Sophie Dänzer
  • Scientific advisor Bernhard Carlos Schär
  • Scientific Advisory Board Carine Ayélé Durand, Jose Cáceres Mardones, Noémie Étienne, Kwamou Eva Feukeu, Rohit Jain, Georg Kreis, Cassandra Mark-Thiesen, Patricia Purtschert, Anna Schmid, Esther Tisa Francini, Sacha Zala, Roberto Zaugg
  • Advisory committee Roman Aebersold, Günhan Akarçay, Heidi Amrein, Beat Högger, Markus Leuthard, Sabrina Médioni, Denise Tonella
  • Project controlling Sabrina Médioni
  • Cultural services and museum education Ashkira Darmann, Lisa Engi, Vera Humbel
  • Technical management Mike Zaugg, Ladina Fait
  • Exhibition construction Ira Allemann, Marc Hägeli, Philippe Leuthardt, Sophie Lühr, Julia Rusterholz, Dave Schwitter
  • Conservation management Nikkibarla Calonder, Ulrike Rothenhäusler
  • Conservation and mounting of objects Nikkibarla Calonder, Natalie Ellwanger, Anna Jurt, Véronique Mathieu, Jürg Mathys, Gaby Petrak, Ulrike Rothenhäusler, Tino Zagermann, Christian Alder
  • Logistics of objects and montage of objects David Blazquez, Christian Affentranger, Simon D'Hollosy, Reto Hegetschweiler, Aymeric Nager
  • Loans Laura Mosimann, Claudio Stefanutto, Samira Tanner
  • Photography Jörg Brandt, Felix Jungo
  • Films Edgar Alfred Keller, Yoseph Agato Sareng, Khalifa Hussein
  • Picture library Fabian Müller, Andrea Kunz
  • IT | Web Günhan Akarçay, Thomas Bucher, Danilo Rüttimann, Pasquale Pollastro
  • Media stations Alex Baur, Ueli Heiniger
  • Video installation Lomotion AG, Detlef Vögeli
  • Audio guide Kellerthurgau
  • Marketing and Communication Andrej Abplanalp, Anna-Britta Maag, Sebastiano Mereu, Carole Neuenschwander, Alexander Rechsteiner
  • Advertising graphic Roli Hofer
  • Translations Martina Albertini, Maries-Claude Buch-Chalayer, Laurence Neuffer, Nigel Stevenson, Language Factory

Special thanks

Gianni D'Amato, Samuel Bachmann, Tomás Bartoletti, Nicole Baur, Debjani Bhattacharyya, Martine Brunschwig Graf, Claudia Buess, Khady Camara, Sarah Csernay, Céline Eidenbenz, Rahel El-Maawi, Hans Fässler, Matthieu Gillabert, Priska Gisler, Anja Glover, Alec von Graffenried, Mischa Hedinger, Aline Helg, Stefan Hertwig, Rachel Huber, Rita Kesselring, Philipp Krauer, Mukesh Kumar, Dimitri Lab, Stefan Leins, Monique Ligtenberg, Naomi Lubrich, Rachel M’Bon, Patrick Minder, Patrick Moser, Kanyana Mutombo, Tarek Naguib, El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, Carin Oberhänsli, Andrea Rhyn, Davide Rodogno, Fabio Rossinelli, Hannan Salamat, Jovita dos Santos Pinto, Henri-Michel Yéré, Andreas Zangger, Marcel Zünd, Lukas Zürcher

Teilnehmende der Runden Tische in Zürich und Lausanne, 2022, Studierende des Departements Geschichte Universität Basel, der ZHdK Zürich, der Universität Fribourg, der Universität Bern

Co-operations

  • TheMuseumsLab: Stefan Aue, Oris Malijani
  • Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noir (IFAN)
  • Font: Favorit von Dinamo Typefaces

The Swiss National Museum would like to thank the Willy G. S. Hirzel Foundation and the Ernst Göhner Foundation for their support.

Items generously loaned by

  • Fondation d'Haussonville pour le rayonnement de l'Esprit de Coppet / Château de Coppet (Vaud- Suisse)
  • Collectie Wereldmuseum, Amsterdam
  • Koninklijk Militair Tehuis voor Oud-Militairen en Museum Bronbeek, Arnhem
  • Mission 21, Basel
  • Herbarien Basel, Universität Basel
  • Historisches Museum Basel
  • Museum der Kulturen Basel
  • Schweizerisches Wirtschaftsarchiv, Basel
  • Öffentliche Bibliothek der Universität Basel
  • NOME, Berlin
  • Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern
  • Burgerbibliothek Bern
  • Institut für Medizingeschichte, Bern
  • Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, eine Institution der Burgergemeinde
  • Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, Graphische Sammlung, Plakatsammlung, Bern
  • Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv, Bern
  • Rätisches Museum Chur
  • Musée militaire et des toiles peintes de Colombier
  • Dr. Patrick Minder, Fribourg
  • Bibliothèque de Genève
  • Musée d’ethnographie de Genève
  • Finnish National Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki
  • Zentral- und Hochschulbibliothek Luzern
  • Musée d’art et d’histoire de Neuchâtel (MAHN)
  • Musée d’ethnographie de Neuchâtel (MEN)
  • Marie Irène et Bernard Mivelaz, Prilly
  • Yeo Workshop, Singapur
  • National Military Museum, Soest
  • Kanton Nidwalden, Staatsarchiv, Stans
  • Museum des Landes Glarus, Näfels
  • Musée historique de Vevey
  • Entomologische Sammlung der ETH Zürich
  • Erdwissenschaftliche Sammlung der ETH Zürich
  • Nordamerika Native Museum NONAM, Zürich
  • Schweizer Finanzmuseum, Zürich
  • Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv, Zürich
  • Dr. Tomás Joaquin Bartoletti, Zürich
  • Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich
  • Zentralbibliothek Zürich
  • Zürcher Hochschule der Künste / Museum für Gestaltung Zürich / Plakatsammlung

Kunstwerke von / Œuvres de / Opere / Works by

  • Denise Bertschi
  • Cian Dayrit
  • Sasha Huber
  • Maryanto
  • Fatima Moumouni
  • Chris Pappan
  • Mathias C. Pfund
  • Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige
  • Sandeep TK
  • Dom Smaz