Housed in a striking 1970s concrete building in the heart of Geneva, Uni Dufour is one of the main buildings of the University of Geneva (UNIGE). It frequently serves as a venue for conferences, round tables, and events focused on a wide range of research topics.
Fernand Salzmann leads a lecture exploring whether the Bible contains erotic magic formulas — spells used to bring a desired partner to one’s bed. Starting from the Song of Songs, a provocative short book of the Old Testament, the talk delves into ancient love magic and its social and religious contexts. Salzmann examines rituals, textual traces and the role of supernatural powers in desires and disappointments, offering historical and interpretive perspectives.
In French.
For the opening evening of the Histoire et Cité festival, a conversation explores the fascinating figure of Geneva medium Élise Müller, known as Hélène Smith. Made famous through Théodore Flournoy’s 1899 book From India to the Planet Mars, her story intertwines spiritualism, artistic creation and women’s emancipation. The evening will open with an excerpt from the play of the same name performed by Rose Marie Gatta and Marco Sabbatini, followed by a multi-voice discussion on the mysteries surrounding this extraordinary woman.
In French.
Youri Volokhine presents a lecture tracing the history of magic as a Western category of thought. The talk examines an apparently confused ensemble of rites, strange practices and mysterious powers, and offers an anthropological reflection based on fieldwork in the East about claims of power over bodies and minds. It investigates how magicians assert authority and what these practices reveal about belief, ritual and social influence.
In French.
Martine Ostorero and Cyril Dépraz lead a commented listening of excerpts from the RTS podcast In the Terrible Time of the Witches (9 episodes, 2022), guiding reflections on the series’ research and narrative approach.
The session examines why witch-hunting was particularly fierce in Switzerland for over two centuries, investigating how judicial systems produced enemies, the mechanisms of accusation and persecution, and the human toll. It discusses broader themes of legal culture, collective violence and historical memory.
In French.
This demonstration-lecture examines the emergence of photography in the first half of the 19th century and its gradual democratization from mid-century, coinciding with the golden age of European illusionism in salons and on theatre stages. It explores how illusionists appropriated photographic processes as a means of social recognition, advertising and artistic experimentation, employing images to extend magical narratives and stagecraft. The session reveals links between technological change and evolving performance aesthetics.
In French.
Valérie Clerc leads a hands-on workshop exploring the remarkable arrival of television in French-speaking Switzerland and its social impact. Participants will examine visual archives, discuss cultural and historical contexts of early broadcasts, and contribute by bringing family television photographs for on-site digitization and publication on notreHistoire.ch. The session reveals how domestic television shaped everyday life and collective memory through images and narratives.
In French.
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