“There may well be Alps, mountains, seas and rivers outside Switzerland; and yet, the Swiss homeland constitutes such a coherent and richly structured natural whole, one that enables to evolve on its soil a peculiar feeling of a common homeland which unites its inhabitants as sons of the same fatherland, even though they live in different valleys and speak different languages” (Bluntschli 1875: 11 in Zimmer 1998)
Although globalization and migration are making our world increasingly feel like a global village (McLuhan, 1968), national identities and the Nation-State that they are attached to, are still central to our vision and understanding of societies (Tilly, 1984). They are very powerful constructs that structure our idea of a Nation and are often used as basic heuristics to make sense of the different places we encounter or hear about. Although often rooted on more or less legitimate historical grounds, they are more frequently visible in their symbolic manifestations. The Swiss case is a very good example. Anyone visiting Switzerland will be greeted by numerous flags in the streets of Swiss towns and villages or on products in supermarkets. Symbols linked to Swiss history, such as Willem Tell’s arbalest are also an unsettling common sight.
However, the most recurrent theme seems to be the usage of references to the Alpine landscape. Even in the valleys, far from the summits, representations of mountains are everywhere. Edelweiss flowers are used for christmas decorations in the streets of Geneva as well as a name for an airline (Edelweiss Air AG). The centerpiece of the National Council’s room in the Federal Palace in Bern is a painting of the Rütli, an Alpine meadow where the first three founding Swiss cantons allegedly decided to create the confederation.
All of these references to the Alps indicate that Switzerland’s identity has been centered around the notion of place and landscape (Zimmer 1998). Place is a politically loaded concept and a very powerful rhetorical tool in order to make sense of the world and draw boundaries within which power can (legitimately) be exercised (Massey 1991). The goal of this paper is to analyze and deconstruct the Alpine narrative created and used to foster a sense of community and reinforce the notion of a Swiss Nation. First, I will explain why this identity ended up being centered around the Alpine landscape. Then, I will show how this construct can be considered as an essentialist identity socially constructed in order to legitimize a certain political order. Finally, I will try to show that this analysis, although mostly focused on the 19th century, can still be useful to understand contemporary Swiss society and its struggles with integration and shifting identities.
The Alps: The Theatre of a Common Narrative
The use of the Alpine landscape as a cornerstone of the Swiss nation-building narrative is a socially constructed process. The main goal of this essentialist, landscape-based rhetoric is to construct a narrative that appears to be logical and natural, when in reality no place has an inherent meaning or virtue (Massey 1991). However, in order to make the rhetoric seem natural and true in essence, some plausibility structures need to pre-exist the construction of the narrative. In the Swiss case this plausibility structure rests upon three main elements: a certain political context, historical truths and myths and finally a very specific philosophical understanding of nature (Zimmer 1998).
The political context in which the Alpine landscape came to be increasingly used in the Swiss national narrative is key to understand the process. Alpine references became widely used at the end of the 19th century, a time when many European nations were also being constituted as nation-states. Many of these European powers such as France or Germany were basing their unity upon language and ethnicity. For example, France was actively banning the use of regional languages, something that was reinforced by the spreading of mass media in the form of french language newspapers. In Germany, this process was mostly centered on ethnicity and the awakening of “an archaic volksgeist” (Agnew 1994). Evidently, this strategy could not be used by multi-cultural and pluri-lingual Switzerland. But the growing identity-building efforts of neighboring countries and the political will to constitute a stronger nation-state created a need for a narrative that would not be based on a shared language or ethnicity. This lack of a common language and one could even say culture, explains in part why the Alpine landscape came to be very important.
If language or ethnicity could not be used as a common denominator, something else had to. Internalized history and the sense of sharing the same roots is a powerful way to empower a nation (Massey 1991). However, Switzerland’s history is quite complicated and marked by many different alliances and the distinctiveness of all cantons. Luckily though, Swiss myths and famous historical events all took place in the Swiss Alps. The Rütli Oath, Willem Tell’s heroic win against the Austrians all took place in Alpine landscapes (loosely precise) that were familiar to all Swiss (Dirlewanger 2011). Although most of the Swiss population lives outside of the mountains, they are still easily reachable and seeing them as the theatre of their shared history contributed to making them a key element in the building of a common identity. In other words, the Alpine landscape made sense to a lot of Swiss people because it was a familiar setting, whether in an experienced reality or in a shared internalised history.
The Alps became a central element of Swiss identity not only because Swiss myths took place in them but also because a certain meaning and certain values were attached to them. Oliver Zimmer has studied this extensively and has coined this process with two terms: “nationalization of nature” and “naturalization of the nation”. He explains that at the end of the 19th century, nature was romanticized and portrayed as a purifying and noble element that should be seen as highly valuable, and in the Swiss case, a way to give greatness and pride to Swiss citizens. Nature, in the shape of the Swiss Alps were therefore portrayed as bearers of Swiss authenticity. The Alpine landscape was seen as the source of moral integrity and a determinant of “national character”. This construction of the Alps as the moral gatekeeper of Swiss authenticity could be seen in every layer of society. Academics and artists would write about the importance and the purity of the Alps and popular tales and folk songs heard throughout the country were spreading the same message (Zimmer 1998).
In a nutshell, the Alps came to be a centerpiece of the nation-state building effort of Switzerland at the end of the 19th century for three main reasons. The first one was contextual, a little country with no unified culture or language at the crossroads of increasingly patriotic European powers needed to find a unifying identity. It came to be centered around a common geographical evidence shared by all Swiss cantons: mountains. The second was historical, mountains were not only a mere geographical fact, they were also inhabited by a common internalized history in the form of ancient battles, myths and legends. Finally, the third one cemented the first two by providing this landscape with noble values and something to be proud of: the strength of mountains and their purifying nature, both bearers of the philosophical ideals of the time. These three factors can be considered as a plausibility structure that made the narrative convincing and helped it infuse all layers of society and end up being seen as a natural evidence.
Place and Essentialist Identities
The usage of the Alpine landscape as a key element of the creation of a national identity in the Swiss case is very interesting for different reasons and can be analyzed in different ways. As stated before, it should be noted that this narrative is socially constructed, it does not flow from nature itself as something logical. This narrative was used to pursue a very political goal: legitimizing political power in a certain place (Calhoun 1993).
This process can be deconstructed as follows: first, the landscape was politicized; second, this politicization led to a form of landscape/place-based identity politics.
As explained earlier, the politicization of the Swiss Alps is a context bound process. Forging a common identity came to be a contextual necessity. This process was driven mostly by political elites. The narrative that they put forward became successful because of its plausibility structure mentioned above. As Oliver Zimmer explains, landscape was invested with a “public role” and in a way can be understood as an institution bearing inherent qualities and values attached to Switzerland. However, this process is dynamic, and even if it lays on a certain internalized history, its political meaning is “constantly reproduced” as Massey puts it. The “nationalization of nature” that took place can be seen as the perfect example of how place and landscapes can become strong rhetorical and political tools to legitimize power. The unifying cement the Alps provided to Switzerland, gave a meaning and a rationale to the growing power of Federal authorities. This power was seen as legitimate because the place it was being exercised on was “naturally” Swiss.
As places do not bear power in themselves it's rather the meaning that is attached to them and expressed through the sense of place that matters. In this sense, it can be said that the construction of the Alps as the ultimate Swiss landscape became the basis for a certain form of identity politics. Massey describes how places can be carefully constructed as the home of “homogenous communities”. Essentialist discourses are then crafted and create a narrative in which certain populations are naturally legitimate over a piece of land (Calhoun 1993). Here, the Swiss Alps were the home of the Homo Alpinus Helveticus. This process used rationalist rhetoric to make sense of the reason why the Swiss population was legitimate on the land it inhabited. The strength of this resides in the fact that once the identity based on the politicized nature of the landscape became seen as natural and legitimate, the discourse of the legitimate identity of the Swiss could be rhetorically articulated as a rational argument. One that could not be questioned, since it was all “natural”.
To sum up, the importance of the Alpine landscape in the late 19th century in Switzerland should be understood as a political tool aimed at creating a narrative to legitimize a political authority in a certain geographical area. This was constructed by elites and was perfectly crafted to resemble a logical and natural fact. As it infused society, it became a background that nourished place-based identity politics. Deconstructing this process allows one to better understand contemporary politics and show that a place does not carry meaning within itself but that it is politically loaded, and this political meaning attached to a landscape is expressed to an emotional attachment from the local population.
What About Now?
At the end of his paper on Alpine landscape and Swiss identity, Oliver Zimmer argues that nowadays Alpine identity is more of a tradition than a truly central aspect of Swiss identity and politics. Although I would agree that Alpine identity is definitely more of a thing of the past, I believe that it is still very present in contemporary Swiss politics and that in many ways it can still be used as an analytical tool to understand them. I believe that the context of globalization can explain the relatively still important weight of Alpine identity in today's Switzerland and that this can be seen in contemporary policies and some politicians' rhetoric.
As stated in the introduction, Alpine symbols can be found all across Switzerland. If some see it as a traditional habit, I believe that the current context of globalization can explain the usage of this Alpine imagery. As stated by Zimmer, “Public role of landscape symbolism is contingent on particular cultural and political contexts”. In a way, today's globalization and immigration are somewhat similar to the 19th century patriotism of Switzerland's neighboring countries. In other words, Switzerland is in a context (like many other Western nations) in which its identity is being challenged by worldwide consumption chains and the arrival of new populations. Globalization threatens the nation-state approach to identity and the idea of place (Massey 1991).
This context, understood in the light of the deconstruction I just tried to demonstrate, can explain some of Switzerland’s peculiar policies. Although not as vocally linked to the Alpine landscape, conservative policies in Switzerland are closely linked to the landscape of the country. For example, farmers are invested with the responsibility of taking care of the landscape of the country, showing again the importance of the Swiss landscape in the identity of the nation (Lindemann-Matthies et al. 2010). Another example could be the one of the protesters against the Covid certificate who choose cow bells as their apparel for their marches, a direct reference to rural –alpine Switzerland (swissinfo.ch). As a last example, which is more symbolic than anything else, I recommend the reader to watch Guy Parmelin’s (then President of the Federal Council) Swiss national day speech, made from a mountain summit (admin.ch).
However, using the landscape and Alpine identity in contemporary Swiss politics is not only symbolic. Swiss naturalization policies are notoriously complicated and the process is very much linked to knowledge about the Alps and the landscape (Tribune de Genève 2017). Questions about the name of lakes or mountain passes are still being used to obtain Swiss citizenship. Citizenship being given by municipalities, not cantons, showing again the importance of the rural world.
In short, it would be exaggerated to say that Swiss identity is uni-dimensional and solely rooted in Alpine folklore. However, what can be said is that the construction of the Swiss nation in the late 19th century left a very heavy mark on the identity of the country and its attachment to its landscape, one that seems to be more prominent than in other countries. It also seems that globalization and immigration are contextual factors that re-activate this obsolete Alpine narrative, at least for a very conservative fringe of the population.
Conclusion
The goal of this paper was to make sense of the many references to the Alpine landscape found in Switzerland and more specifically in Swiss politics and rhetoric. In doing this, the other objective was to show how places can be used for political means and among others, creating narratives and identities strong enough to sustain a political order.
What should be remembered is that the Swiss Nation, understood as an Alpine nation, legitimate on its land by nature, is a social construct. This construction, although rooted in historical facts, was a tool designed by elites as a reaction to a specific historical context. While Europe was seeing the creation of nation-states along linguistic borders, Switzerland was crafting a narrative which would cement Switzerland as THE definitive Alpine nation.
This process was supported by a plausibility structure that not only made great use of geographical truths but that also integrated a common internalized history that took place in the Alps.
Another layer of meaning was then added to invest the Alps with values and inherent qualities that used eugenic rhetoric to craft a superior identity. A romanticizing vision of the mountains accredited the Swiss with qualities such as purity and strength. This process corresponds to what Oliver Zimmer calls the “nationalization of nature” and the “naturalization of the nation” in which place is a central component of the legitimization of the nation-state.
The construction of the Alpine nation was a way to legitimize power and its strongest manifestation could be found in the strong political identity it generated. In crafting such a rational narrative, the Swiss understood themselves as legitimate on their land, and developed a sense of unity. For them, the connection between their power over the land they inhabited was not socially constructed, it was natural.
Traces of these processes can still be visible today, whether it is in marketing and symbolic politics, but more importantly in some immigration policies or conservative rhetoric. Understanding and deconstructing nation-building narratives is key to the understanding of contemporary nationalisms.
This paper, although citing many exemples, remains highly theoretical. An interesting addition to this could be to find a way to empirically measure Alpine rhetoric and see if patterns emerge, and if these can be linked to contextual factors such as globalization.