Slavery, Resistance and Democracy

Slavery, Resistance and Democracy: Exploring Swiss-Brazilian Connections in the 19th-Century Atlantic World

We are pleased to invite you to the international conference 'Slavery, Resistance and Democracy: Exploring Swiss-Brazilian Connections in the 19th-Century Atlantic World', to be held from 5 to 7 November 2025 at the University of Lausanne (Amphimax 414).

The conference will bring together senior scholars and early-career researchers presenting pioneering, unpublished work dedicated to the study of two geographically distant regions that are, nonetheless, historically deeply intertwined. This gathering will create a unique space for dialogue across generations and perspectives. Presentations will address the economic, political, scientific and cultural connections between Brazil and Switzerland throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with themes including:

• Indigenous resistance, motherhood, and enslaved agency
• The plantation system and transatlantic economic connections
• Histories of trade, migration, science, and finance
• Memory, post-abolition, and colonial legacies

Keynote speakers include Maria Helena P. T. Machado, Rafael de Bivar Marquese (University of São Paulo), Béatrice Ziegler (University of Bern), and Mary Ann Mahony (Central Connecticut State University). The program also features thematic sessions, and a welcome apéritif.

Our aim is to strengthen scientific connections and foster closer ties between scholars and audiences from both countries. We encourage participants to contact the invited speakers directly to explore potential collaborations, exchanges or public history initiatives. Speaker biographies are included in the conference programme.

The conference will be held primarily in English, with contributions in Portuguese and occasional English-Portuguese translations.

Participation is free and open to all.

Please confirm your attendance by 15 October 2025 by emailing izabel.barros unil ch.