/ Research, Studies
Interactive Map of Colonial Entanglements in Basel
An interactive map shows how the history of Basel is interwoven with the history of colonialism. The map is a coproduction of the Visionscarto collective in coproduction with students at the University of Basel in the framework of the seminar "Decolonizing the Swiss urban landscape" with Claske Dijkema.
Never having had direct colonies itself, Switzerland is not generally associated with colonialism. Yet with an increasing global mobilization around the issues of racial injustice and colonial systems of power, there is a renewed sense of urgency in analysing complicities in colonialism and slavery which go far beyond engaging in direct political and military imperialism. This interactive map shows how the history of Basel is interwoven with the history of colonialism. It is the outcome of a collaborative exploration of colonialism in Basel, carried out by a visiting lecturer and students in Critical Urbanisms at the University of Basel. It is developed in collaboration with visionscarto and is work in progress.