Between Continuity and Rupture: Switzerland and the EU in a World of Great-Power Rivalries

Psychiatrist, addictologist and writer Fatma Bouvet de la Maisonneuve offers an engaged clinical perspective on harassment, racism and the normalized spread of hate speech among young people. Drawing on what children and families share in consultation, she examines how school can mirror the violence of society while remaining a place where coexistence must be defended. Her talk also highlights ways to resist these dynamics through awareness, dialogue and collective responsibility.

Two men from Algeria, one a believing and practising Muslim and the other shaped by Islamic culture yet deeply secular, engage in an open conversation about the challenges facing Muslim identity in contemporary Swiss society. Their exchange examines faith, belonging, and the tension between religious practice and secular life. Rather than becoming a dead-end clash, the discussion opens moments of hope and offers a nuanced view of the Islamic world, far removed from familiar stereotypes.

Barbara Polla joins journalist, author and United Nations correspondent Luisa Ballin for a conversation about two women shaped by war in contemporary fiction. The discussion focuses on Andanta, the heroine of Polla’s latest novel, and Najwa, the central female character in Rami Tawil’s The Beethoven Hat. Together, they examine resistance, exile, return, and the role of women facing conflict. The event also includes a visit to the exhibition En attendant, featuring sculptures and drawings by Palestinian artist Abdul Rahman Katanani, followed by discussion, a friendly drink, and book signing.

In French.