Swiss Science, African Decolonization and the Rise of Global Health, 1940-2010

Wissenschaftliche Neugierde ist grenzenlos. Auch in der Schweiz. Das Schweizerische Tropeninstitut errichtete bereits in den frühen 1950er Jahren zwei Forschungslaboratorien in Afrika: das Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) an der Côte d’Ivoire sowie das Swiss Tropical Institute Field Laboratory (STIFL) in Tansania. Das Buch erzählt die Geschichte der Schweizer Wissenschaft an diesen Schauplätzen. Es beschreibt den Wandel von einer auf die Schweiz bezogenen Wissenschaft zu einer aktiven Forschungspartnerschaft.

After World War II, and especially during the decolonization era, Switzerland became more closely involved in African affairs. Swiss research institutions were established in both West and East Africa – the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques at Côte d’Ivoire and the Swiss Tropical Institute Field Laboratory in Tanganyika. Playing a key role in exchanges of individuals, ideas and objects between Switzerland and Africa, these institutions evolved into scientific hotspots, ultimately led by African scientists and deeply embedded within the local scientific systems. This volume analyzes the successive transformations and paradigm shifts of Swiss science in Africa – from the study of nature and collection of specimens, through development aspirations, to more recent research partnerships. By tracing this history from late colonialism to the period of development aid and structural adjustment, the work aims to contribute to a better understanding of the burgeoning field of global health.