Events

The Gosteli Talks 2026 will focus on the transnational connections of Swiss women's movements.

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Feminist movements in Switzerland have never been purely national phenomena. From the outset, struggles for rights, education, and labour were influenced by and connected to transnational debates. Swiss activists took part in international conferences, founded organisations that operated across borders, and aligned themselves with feminist struggles in other regions. These processes involved not only the reception of transnational knowledge, but also the active contribution of original impulses to international discourses and the sustained exchange of experiences, ideas, and strategies.

What do you think about that?

We welcome proposals from the fields of history, social and cultural studies, law, and related disciplines. Contributions from artistic or activist perspectives are also expressly encouraged.

The conference will take place in cooperation with the Swiss Social Archives at the University of Zurich on 4–5 June 2026. 

The deadline for submitting your paper is 31 January 2026.

On 4–5 June 2026, the Gosteli Archive on the History of the Swiss Women’s Movements and the Swiss Social Archives invite you to Zurich for the Gosteli Talks.

From their early days, Swiss women’s movements were influenced by transnational debates and closely connected with them. Swiss activists participated in international conferences, founded organisations that operated across borders, and linked their efforts to feminist struggles in other regions. In doing so, they not only absorbed transnational knowledge but also contributed their own impulses to international discourses, fostering the exchange of experiences, ideas, and strategies.

The Gosteli Talks 2026 will focus on the entanglements, translation processes, and tensions between Swiss women’s movements and transnational feminisms.

Further information will follow.