Salon Discussion with Prof. William Foster (University of Cambridge)

William Foster is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge (Homerton College).

Prof. Foster will give a brief overview of his current research, followed by an open discussion.

Abstract: "The current constitutional amendment initiative to define Swiss neutrality has serious implications for broader European politics and security. As a historian, I am interested in the ways in which national cultures limit, and sometimes fail to limit, foreign policies. My current research investigates the changes through time of Swiss (and comparatively Finnish and Swedish) popular cultures of neutrality, especially after 1914. Among the questions I would like to discuss is how Swiss perceptions of their own neutrality, including the practice of armed neutrality, might have been affected by European and global opinion during times of international crisis."

William Foster is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. His research focuses on modern and contemporary Europe and shows a particular interest in the changing cultures of warfare, violence, neutrality, diplomacy and peace-keeping on the continent. His latest project concerns the history of the Swiss and the development of the cultures of armed neutrality in European and global contexts.

Export event as iCal