Switzerland, a neutral and (still) happy country?
International Relations and Study abroad Service
Date: 20 April 2026 / 17:30 - 19:30
Room A21, Red Building, West Campus Lugano
The events organized by the International Relations and Study Abroad Service as part of the "Il mondo in USI" (the world in USI) series continue in the spring semester. Join us on April 20th 2026 at 5:30 pm for a new event dedicated to the USI community and open to the public.
Is there a Swiss model? Why does Switzerland work? How did a small Alpine country, lacking natural resources and marked by deep linguistic and religious divisions, manage to become one of the most stable and prosperous states in the contemporary world?
Inspired by the book La Svizzera è un paese neutrale (e felice) (Roma, Laterza, 2025), this conference offers a historical reading of the “Swiss case” beyond stereotypes: neutrality as a political construction, federalism as a way of managing conflict, direct democracy as a tool of integration, and linguistic pluralism as a practice of compromise. Through a long-term perspective, the success factors of the Swiss model will be highlighted, offering a critical reflection on the relevance of neutrality today and the challenges facing the country.
Maurizio Binaghi teaches at the Liceo Cantonale di Lugano 1. He serves as an expert in the teaching of history in compulsory schools in the Canton of Ticino, is president of the Associazione ticinese degli insegnanti di storia (Ticino Association of History Teachers), and is an active member of the Swiss Historical Society and of the committee of Coscienza Svizzera. He was assistant to the Chair of Contemporary History at the University of Fribourg and lecturer in History Teaching at SUPSI in Locarno. His publications Addio, Lugano bella. Gli esuli politici nella Svizzera italiana di fine Ottocento (Locarno, Dadò, 2002), La frontiera contesa. I piani svizzeri di attacco all'Italia nel rapporto segreto del colonnello Arnold Keller (1870-1918) (with R. Sala, Bellinzona, Casagrande, 2008; French edition, Geneva, Slatkine, 2018) and La Svizzera è un paese neutrale (e felice) (Roma, Laterza, 2025). He is co-author of the textbooks Istituzioni politiche svizzere. Guida alla cittadinanza e alla democrazia (Lugano-Milano, Giampiero Casagrande Editore, 2018) and La Svizzera nella storia (Bellinzona, Edizioni del Canton Ticino, 2024).
Please register through this link: REGISTRATION
The conference will be in English.
At the end of the event it will be possible to buy the book La Svizzera è un paese neutrale (e felice) (Roma, Laterza, 2025), available only in italian.
(And yes, there will be swiss chocolate for all!)