Urban and Country Living

UNI NOVA University of Basel Research Magazine — N°131 / May 2018

Dossier Urban and country living.

In conversation Debate Album Essay Law and reality. Will hard currency Identifying When others become obsolete? new plant extracts. exclude us. ung, urich Giorgio de Chirico L’énigme de la fatalité, 1914, Emanuel Hoffmann-Stiftung, Geschenk der Stifterin Emanuel Hoffmann-Stiftung, Geschenk der Stifterin 1914, Giorgio de Chirico L’énigme la fatalité, David Weiss Dr. Hofmann auf dem ersten LSD-Trip I, 1981/ 2013, aus der Serie «Plötzlich diese Übersicht», Emanuel Hoffmann-Stift 1981/I, Hofmann auf dem ersten LSD-Trip 2013, Dr. David Weiss / Maja Sacher-Stehlin 1953, Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel, Foto: Bisig & Bayer, Basel, © 2017, ProLitteris, Z Maja Sacher-Stehlin 1953, Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel, Bisig & Bayer, Foto: Peter Fischli Peter Geschenk von Peter Fischli 2015, Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel, Foto: Tom Bisig, Basel / Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel, Tom Foto: Fischli 2015, Geschenk von Peter Frick und Frack Nov. 1946, © Gabriel Moulin Studios, San Francisco / © Gabriel Moulin Studios, San Francisco Frick und Frack 1946, Nov. BASEL SHORT STORIES FROM ERASMUS 10. 02. TO IRIS VON ROTEN 21.05.18 Editorial

Team Contributors to this issue Living and working together.

Is it still possible to distinguish between life in the city and life in the countryside? Unlike in previous centuries, people in many parts of the world no longer live in clearly 1 2 demarcated areas, but mainly in agglomerations. Here, between homes, industrial buildings, warehouses and highways, the differences between heavily built-up city centers and sparsely populated rural areas have begun to disappear. There are more people living in high-rise apartments on the outskirts than within the former city walls. Increasingly, people are living and working in differ- 34 ent places. More and more people move between city centers and suburbs on a daily basis, commuting in one d irection or the other. The two are becoming less distinct.

In the dossier for this issue, we look at questions relating to how people live together, with a particular focus on examples from the Basel region. How was the area settled?

1 Manuel Herz is an architect and profes- What path did economic development take? How do we sor of architectural, urban and territo- shape our social relationships, both among ourselves and rial design at the University of Basel. In as compared with neighbors and newcomers? Are there his thematic introduction to this issue new forms of co-existence? What is the situation in local of UNI NOVA, he describes new forms neighborhoods? We profi le researchers and academic of urbanization citing examples from Basel and Switzerland as well as cities in projects that are grappling with these questions, covering Africa. Pages 16 – 17 subjects such as urban studies, history, geography, sociology and cultural studies. The dossier looks at earlier 2 Beatrice Hofmann-Wiggenhauser has pro- periods as well as at current and future developments. duced a list of place and fi eld names in Northwestern Switzerland for our dossier, We hope that you will fi nd it illuminating! which are connected with certain social situations or interactions. As a postdoc- toral research associate in linguistics at Christoph Dieffenbacher the University of Basel, she is currently Editorial team, UNI NOVA working on the Solothurn place name and fi eld name book. Pages 14 – 31

3, 4 Matthias Hamburger and Olivier Potterat from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences are working to identify plant extracts as an alternative to copper for use in organic agriculture. We’ve documented the individual steps of their research project in this issue’s Album. Pages 38 – 47

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 3 Contents

Inheritance law touches on sensitive issues: Modern societies are increasingly becoming agglomerations – Roland Fankhauser in conversation, page 8 city and countryside are no longer essentially different.

Dossier 6 Kaleidoscope Urban and 8 In conversation While the draft bill for reform of the country living. inheritance law in Switzerland takes account of new family structures, it does not go far enough in some respects, according to law 16 On urban and rural life. 27 City districts: shifting spaces. professor Roland Fankhauser. We remain a long way from world- Cities are structured into districts wide complete urbanization. with diff erent characteristics. 12 News Ophthalmology research, strategy, 18 Field names. 28 Neighborhoods 2.0 and new master’s programs. Linguists investigate landscape In an individualized and increasingly names in Northwestern Switzerland. mobile society, neighborhoods are changing in form. 20 Basel, its population and the city walls. 30 A critical take on sedentarism. How the spatial development The expectation that “migrants” of Basel since the Middle Ages has should become actively involved in aff ected social life in the city – their local community is often at and vice versa. odds with their daily lives.

23 New housing for social change. 32 The lives of cross-border Co-operative living is back commuters. en vogue. What is the potential of Ever since there were borders, there such housing projects? have been cross-border commuters. In Switzerland, their numbers have 24 Where the life sciences more than doubled since 2000. are concentrated. Cover photo Chiara from Bretzwil is a The Basel region is one of the world’s passionate longboarder and surfer leading locations for life sciences – in her free time – here be- and home to a cluster of companies tween Arboldswil and Titterten, shortly after sunrise, spotted and organizations. by photographer Florian Moritz.

4 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Contents

Imprint

UNI NOVA, University of Basel Research Magazine. Published by the University of Basel, Communi- cations & Marketing (Head: Matthias Geering). UNI NOVA is published twice a year; the next edition will be published in November 2018. Subscriptions are free of charge and can be orde- red by email via [email protected]. Free copies are available at several locations throughout the University of Basel and at other institutions in the Basel region. CONCEPT: Matthias Geering, Reto Caluori, Urs Hafner EDITORS: Reto Caluori, Christoph Dieff enbacher ADDRESS: University of Basel, Communications & Marketing, PO Box, 4001 Basel, Switzerland. Tel. + 41 61 207 30 17 Email: [email protected] UNI NOVA ONLINE: unibas.ch/uninova, issuu.com/unibasel DESIGN CONCEPT AND LAYOUT: New Identity Ltd., Basel TRANSLATION: Sheila Regan and team, UNIWORKS (uni-works.org) PICTURES: Page 6: Florian Moritz; Page 7: Key- stone/Pascal Bloch; Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt, The organic farming industry has to move away from using copper – Hö D 1241; Page 17: Basel-Stadt State Archives, BILD_1_291; Page 21: Basel-Stadt State Archives, testing plant-derived alternatives, page 38 AL 45, 7-2-8; Page 25: University of Basel, Human Geography. Survey of life sciences companies in the Basel region by T. Vogel, 2015. Adaptation/presentation: T. Vogel, 2017; Page 40: Alex Espinosa, CIFLORPAN, Panama; Page 49: DESKTOP – Jacob Burckhardt Digital; Page 50: Patrick Tschopp, Evolutionary Biology, University of Basel; Page 53: Biozentrum/Swiss Nanosci- 34 My workspace 54 Research ence Institute; Page 55: Christian Flierl; Page 56: Institut Lumière, Lyon; Brigitte Braschler, Sec- Researchers are building barriers in More effi cient cancer diagnostics. tion of Conservation Biology, University of Basel; Page 67: Mediachef/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). a swimming tunnel allowing native The stiff ness of tumor cells gives ILLUSTRATION: Studio Nippoldt, Berlin PROOFREADING: Birgit Althaler, Basel (German ﬁ sh species to pass. an indication of how a patient’s cancer edition), Lesley Paganetti, Basel (English Edition). will develop. A start-up company is PRINT: Birkhäuser+GBC AG, Reinach BL ADVERTISING: University of Basel, Head of 36 Debate using an atomic force microscope to Marketing & Event, Email: [email protected] UNI NOVA is a member of the Swiss Science Pool The future of money. probe cancerous tissue. (swiss-science-pool.com) The money economy is changing PRINT RUN: 14,000 copies (German), rapidly due to digitization. 56 Research 1,200 copies (English) All rights reserved. Copies and reproduction of Economist Aleksander Berentsen Hodler on the silver screen. any kind require the permission of the editor. ISSN 1661-3147 (German print edition) and sociologist Axel Paul share Fungus-ridden ants. ISSN 1661-3155 (German online edition) ISSN 1664-5669 (English print edition) their assessments. ISSN 1664-5677 (English online edition) 57 Books facebook.com/unibasel instagram.com/unibasel 38 Album Latest publications by researchers at twitter.com/unibasel_en Plant extracts against fungi. the University of Basel.

48 Research 58 Essay 200 years of Jacob Burckhardt. Left out and excluded. A 3D installation at the Basel Histori- It is painful when other people exclude cal Museum is bringing to life the you. Especially when you don’t know ideas of Basel’s great cultural histo- why. rian. 60 Profile 50 Research Research for the benefi t Never more than fi ve fi ngers. of the patient. Vertebrates have no more than fi ve Professor of Medicine Viviane Hess fi ngers or toes on each limb – why is is Head of Clinical Cancer Research at this? University Hospital Basel. She is not UNI NOVA afraid to criticize the system in which is also available in German and online. 52 Research she has pursued her career. issuu.com/unibasel Living in the human body. unibas.ch/uninova Bacteria, fungi and viruses live in our 62 Alumni bodies. Most of them go unnoticed 66 My book but infl uence us throughout our lives. 67 Events

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 5 Kaleidoscope

ExoMars 2020 Mission to Mars.

Is there life on Mars? In 2020, the European Space scape for in tensive camera tests – for example, how far Agency (ESA) will send a rover into space to look for away from the surface does the camera need to be, signs of life on the surface of the red planet. The and how long does it take to photograph the surface of rover will also carry a camera that can take close-up a rock in detail? The camera, which is being developed color images of rocks, sediment, and drill core and built in Switzerland, will then be optimized to samples in high resolution. In Witterswil in the canton ensure that it can provide as many new insights as of Solothurn, geographer Nikolaus Kuhn and his re- possible into current and past life on Mars. search team have constructed an artiﬁ cial Mars land- bit.ly/uninova-mars

6 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Kaleidoscope

Long-term experiment in Hölstein Climate change in the forest.

Over the next 20 years, an experiment unique throughout Europe will take place in Hölstein in the Canton of Basel-Landschaft. To understand the impact of increasing aridity on the forests of Central Europe, plant scientists from Basel will simulate declining rainfall in an area of forest. Half of the 1-hectare test area will be covered by a canopy, which will catch around 50 % of the rain that falls; the other half will serve as a control area. This will enable the researchers to clarify which native tree species are particularly sensitive to water shortages. A 50-meter crane has already been assembled in the middle of the forest to allow the scientists to conduct experiments in the treetops. The canopy will be installed in 2019. Höﬂ inger photo archive bit.ly/uninova-wald The Basel middle class and photography.

Early photography in Basel is closely linked with the Höﬂ inger photographic dynasty: From the mid-19th century, the studio produced images for visiting cards and other purposes that now form one of Switzerland’s most extensive photo collections. Women worked for the family business as reception- ists, retouchers, or – like Maria Höﬂ inger- Willimann, pictured here – as models for the company catalog. In her dissertation in media studies, Esther Stutz examines portrait shots from this era and questions the relationship between the middle class, photography and perception. She detects a desire for the visual that was, however, connected with a deliberately modest portrayal of the self. “Basel’s middle classes did not present their luxury to the world; they were a little more restrained,” she explains. “It wasn’t the done thing to show off your money.” bit.ly/uninova-foto

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 7 In conversation

“ The law must not deny reality.”

Interview: Urs Hafner Photo: Basile Bornand

An overhaul of the 100-year-old inheritance law is long overdue, not least because the structure of families has changed. The Swiss Federal Council has presented its draft bill for reform. This has not been thought through sufﬁ ciently, according to professor of law Roland Fankhauser. He would like to see the Federal Council display more courage.

UNI NOVA: Professor Fankhauser, the Dec- has, however, been little research into structures which now exist, this seems laration of Human Rights states that all whether the law is actually able to achieve long overdue. Following a motion to re- human beings are born equal. Some of this goal of peaceful succession. form, the Federal Council has now pre- them, however, inherit a fortune while UNI NOVA: The traditionally bourgeois- sented a draft bill that aims to take better others receive nothing. Is that just? dominated state is engaging in a division account of social realities. Partners who ROLAND FANKHAUSER: One of the funda- of wealth? were not actually married to the deceased mentals of constitutional law is that all FANKHAUSER: In a sense, it is. Legislators and step-children will no longer go human beings are treated equally before distinguish between “testate” and “intes- empty-handed. What do you think of this the law. The extent to which the distribu- tate” succession. In the former case, a will plan? tion of material goods among them is exists, in the latter there is none. How FANKHAUSER: The draft addresses some just, ultimately, is a political matter. The often a will is actually drawn up, we do sensible technical details and introduces fact is that the way inheritance works not know. The freedom of the testator is new legal instruments, but overall it has tends to perpetuate the current distribu- restricted through certain statutory enti- not been thought out suffi ciently well tion of wealth: approximately 10 % of heirs tlements: the children, a surviving spouse and it does not fully consider the possible inherit 75 % of the sum total of all that is or registered partner, and also parents are consequences. inherited. Through the inheritance laws, all guaranteed a certain share of the in- UNI NOVA: During the consultation pro- legislators do, however, ensure that the heritance. The deceased is not permitted cess, the Swiss People’s Party rejected the concentration of wealth does not become to leave these parties empty-handed. And proposed revisions because it claimed feudal in nature; that is to say, they en- the more distant the relationship be- these would weaken the traditional fam- sure that what is inherited does not between the testator and the heir – for ex- ily. The Social Democratic Party, on the come concentrated in the hands of too ample a favorite nephew or an unrelated other hand, welcomed it because it took few. but admired artist – the higher the rate of patchwork families into account. Are you UNI NOVA: So inheritance law impinges the inheritance tax. In this way, a proportion socio-politically conservative? area of private ownership structures? of the wealth is returned to the greater FANKHAUSER: My political standpoint is FANKHAUSER: Yes, it does. The law, includ- society. not relevant here; it’s more a matter of ing inheritance law, is intended to create UNI NOVA: Why is that the case? my insights as a legal scholar. The law the basis for peaceful relations within FANKHAUSER: Lawmakers favor and pro- must be open to social change such as the society and to prevent disputes about mote the transfer of assets within the current pluralization of lifestyles and family inheritances. For this reason, law- family and protect these rights. family structures. It must not deny reality. makers limit the freedom of the testator, UNI NOVA: The existing inheritance laws The standard model of the nuclear family, the person who has died, to distribute are being revised for the ﬁ rst time in over which some political circles consider to their wealth entirely as they see ﬁ t. There 100 years. Given the various new family be the ideal – heterosexual parents, mar-

8 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 In conversation

“ The law, including inheritance law, is intended to create the basis for peaceful relations within society.” Roland Fankhauser, Professor of Civil Law and Civil Procedure Law

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 9 In conversation

ried for life and with two children – is the Federal Council, I would say that it becoming increasingly rare in reality. Evi- sounds good. But, after all, who would be dently, more and more people are now against more freedom? The question is living in more complex constellations. whether this freedom will actually be The Federal Council’s proposed revisions taken advantage of? We don’t know. At are, however, a somewhat timid response the moment, it’s mere speculation be- to these changes. Their proposal is to give cause we don’t have the research. And the testator more freedom and more lee- furthermore, greater freedom for the tes- way, on the one hand, and reduce the tator increases the danger of the “dicta- statutory share, on the other. When draw- Inheritance law reform torship of the cold hand”. ing up his will, the testator can then take Inheritance law deals with delicate UNI NOVA: The cold hand belonging, I as- into account his de facto partner, with issues: death, ownership and family. It sume, to the deceased? whom he cohabits, and her children. regulates the transfer of an estate FANKHAUSER: Yes, indeed. If the testator from a deceased person, the testator, to UNI NOVA: And what if the deceased has has more freedom, he is better able to other individuals, the heirs. Legal not written a will? Does the partner in- scholars have long seen the current in- direct the succession of his wealth, which herit nothing? heritance law as rather a “problem child”, means there will be fewer limits set to FANKHAUSER: As I see it, that is exactly as law professor Jean Nicolas Druey arbitrary decisions. He can determine the where the problem lies. The proposed put it. The law has existed since 1912, fate of his wealth well beyond the time of since the introduction of the Swiss Civil reform does not go far enough because his death; that is what is known as the Code. Authorized through a motion the unmarried partner is taken into ac- by the former Zurich state councilor Felix “dictatorship of the cold hand”. This pos- count only in cases where the testator has Gutzwiller, the Federal Council is now sibility is also unlikely to contribute posi- made dispositions, but not if the unmar- adapting the law to the realities of a tively to achieving the aims of inheritance ried partner has no position as a statutory changed society. The draft bill has met law to support peaceful relations. The with much skepticism in expert heir. The revisions stipulate that a partner fewer the statutory shares, the greater the legal circles. who inherits nothing can bring a claim risk of unequal treatment and conse- against the heirs, but this must happen quently of dispute among the legal heirs. within three months of the death. I don’t UNI NOVA: So why has the Federal Council imagine that a lawsuit while people are presented such a half-baked proposal? still mourning will contribute to peaceful FANKHAUSER: Codifi ed law is often the re- relations among the bereaved. Forcing sult of a compromise between diff erent those in grieving into the role of a plain- views and clashing interests. Politics al- tiff seems inappropriate to me. And pro- ways influences the law no matter cedural problems may also arise that have whether we legal scholars like it or not. not been clarifi ed even in the slightest. Compromise is not, however, any guaran- UNI NOVA: So the revised inheritance law tee of non-contradictory and consistent fails in its aim to ensure peaceful succes- legislation. Rumor has it that a deal be- sion of wealth within society? tween the left and the right will lead to FANKHAUSER: In terms of the cohabiting further reform: In return for improve- partner, that is true. The reform fails to ments to the situation of the cohabiting grant such partners a legal right to in- partner, the inheritance of family busi- herit. I fi nd this astounding given that nesses will be privileged. The owner of a legislators have been much braver in company will be able to write ownership other areas, for example with regard to over to any person he considers suitable. joint custody of children and child sup- Other heirs who are entitled to a statu- port. Maybe in the future they will also tory share will, in such cases, have no make changes to accommodate the now claim to compensation. widely accepted same-sex marriage. And UNI NOVA: That means the person who in- as regards the purported increased free- herits the company doesn’t have to give dom for the testator being proposed by up anything?

10 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 In conversation

FANKHAUSER: Not nothing, but maybe research requires considerable time, time time consuming but in the end it can pro- even less if, for example, the company is which we nowadays seldom have. The duce well-founded solutions. That doesn’t valued lower. But is this special inheri- same is true of refl ection. This would also suit politicians, who want to exercise tance right justifi ed? We have no empiri- require much long and careful discussion. their infl uence early and see quick re- cal data on this. In overall economic Such discussions were once conducted by sults. terms, is it actually damaging for a fi rm expert committees. Lawmakers no longer UNI NOVA: So reform of the inheritance to pass to a non-family member following wish to do this; they now conduct only law is not over. the death of its owner? Is the new regula- selective bilateral discussions with cho- FANKHAUSER: Consultations in the Federal tion in the interests of society as a whole? sen experts. Council will lead to a number of further We don’t know. And there is also the UNI NOVA: I suppose, the Federal Offi ce of revisions but the new law will still not be question of why property owners, for ex- Justice would argue that the group dy- free of contradictions. And it will con- ample, do not receive the same privileged namics among professors complicates tinue to give us legal scholars plenty to treatment. matters. think about. UNI NOVA: It seems that legal scholars are FANKHAUSER: And maybe the Federal Of- often still in the dark … fi ce would be right – and yet it is short- Roland Fankhauser FANKHAUSER: Assured knowledge of the term thinking. Academics look at things is Professor of Civil Law and legal circumstances, as we say, is indeed from many diff erent angles, and not pre- Civil Procedure Law at the University of Basel. His research focuses lacking in many areas. And it is diffi cult dictably along political lines. They refl ect, on marriage and divorce law, family to obtain. Sadly, legal scholars are seldom and reason, weigh up their arguments and inheritance law, as well as schooled in empirical legal research. Such against each other. Of course, this is very civil procedure law.

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Ophthalmology research, strategy and new master’s programs.

Study programs New master’s programs.

The University of Basel will be off ering three new study programs from fall se- mester 2018. The Master’s in Biomedical Engineering explains how technical tools and methods can be applied to medical diagnostics and treatment. The new Mas- ter’s in Cultural Techniques focuses on practices that help to create culture through the speciﬁ c use of symbols and technical artefacts. Meanwhile, the interdisciplinary “Changing Societies: Migra- tion – Conﬂ icts – Resources” study program examines the variety and complexity of social change from anthropological, politological, and sociological per- spectives.

Life Sciences Partnership for ophthalmology institute.

The University of Basel has founded a new research institu- The IOB brings tion together with Novartis and University Hospital Basel. The together researchers Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) and clinicians to ﬁ ght visual disorders aims to improve understanding of eye diseases and develop and loss of vision. new treatments, linking basic research with clinical applica- iob.ch tion in a structured manner. The new institute is set to receive CHF 200 million over the next ten years, half from Novartis and half from the other founding partners along with the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Basel- Stadt has already granted CHF 12.5 million for 2018 to 2021. The IOB is set to create 135 new jobs in total; the University Council has already approved four IOB professorships for re- cruitment.

12 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Strategy 2030 The magazine Process launched.

The University Council has begun a strategic pro- that tells you cess that will create a basis for developing the university’s ﬁ nances and content in the future. Four subgroups – research, teaching, collaborations, and even more. other topics – will develop the content of Strategy 2030. These groups report to a project management team, who in turn report to the project board. The Subscribe for free. project will be led by President Professor Andrea Schenker-Wicki and the project board will be run by Dr. Beat Oberlin, the new Vice President of the University Council. The schedule is tight – by the end of 2018, the new strategy is expected to reach a stage that will allow a consultation process to be initiated in early 2019 and Strategy 2030 to be approved by the University Council in August 2019.

The University of Basel’s research magazine can be delivered quickly and conveniently to your door. Business and Economics Simply order free online. Research into unibas.ch/uninova innovative ﬁ nance.

Fintech, blockchain, and digital banking – the Cen- ter for Innovative Finance (CIF), the new research unit in the Faculty of Business and Economics, will focus on new technologies and developments in the Please cut out the coupon and send to: University of Basel, Communications, Petersgraben 35, P. O. Box, 4001 Basel fi nancial industry. The CIF will be boosted by an assistant professorship focusing on blockchain tech- UNI NOVA is published twice a year. nology, which will receive funding of CHF 1.3 mil- Please send me the edition of UNI NOVA in: lion over fi ve years from Credit Suisse Asset Man- agement. The professorship is dedicated to research- German English ing new technologies based on blockchain. It will investigate the use and potential applications of Please deliver my copy of UNI NOVA to: these technologies in fi nancial markets and industry, and look at how these technological innova- tions could aff ect society. Surname, fi rst name

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13 Dossier

Urban and country living.

Photos: Christian Flierl

Peaceful living and working in a green environment, hustle and bustle in the center? Rolling landscapes, urban rush? Harmony there, stress here. Such contrasts barely apply anymore since the borders between cities and their surrounding areas grow more transparent. Social structures have changed, and in many places agglomerations – transition zones – now dominate.

Page 20 Page 23 Page 32 Historians New housing Encounters with investigate spatial structures enable people from developments ideals such as bordering countries and social life in democratic decision- is part of every- cities. making and self- day life in the Basel administration to region. become reality.

14 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

Hanslefels, Blauen, Canton of Basel-Landschaft Older documented evidence contai- ned other variations of the name for this rock ledge: “handelfelß” and “Handlenfels”. It would appear that a legal trade or dispute relating to or indeed over this rock ledge was instrumental in its naming. It was not until the 19th century, however, that the name was changed to “Hansle”, which comes from the name Hans.

More on page 19

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 15 Dossier

On urban and rural life.

Text: Manuel Herz

Even as the borders between urban and rural areas become more permeable, we remain a long way from worldwide complete urbanization.

f we take a look at Matthäus Merian’s areas dependent on each other, thinking the West, which are considered the norm, famous 1615 map of Basel, we will see of them as polar opposites no longer helps and supposedly underdeveloped cities in Isomething seemingly familiar: A to make sense of built reality: Villages and the rest of the world, which are then densely built-up town surrounded by a small towns that used to have a strong deemed to deviate from the norm and suf- wall. Beyond are areas with a rural topog- agricultural bent have developed into lo- fer from a development shortfall. raphy shaped by farming. The separation gistics hubs. While Switzerland’s alpine of urban and rural areas, which is so no- region is hardly built up at all, it is laced New forms of urbanization ticeable in Merian’s engraving, continues with a tight network of infrastructures The African continent is one region that to this day to dominate how we view cit- such as roads, rail tracks, power lines, cell could lead us to question these binary cat- ies: We associate urban areas with bus- towers, broadcasting installations and wa- egories. In recent years, African rural tling activity and a lifestyle characterized ter pipes. An extensive transportation areas, for instance in Kenya, have under- by interchange, transformation, develop- network means that the nearest town is gone rapid change thanks to the establish- ment and diversity; whereas we regard typically no more than a few minutes ment of extensive infrastructures, with rural areas as synonymous with sparse away. It is no longer accurate to consider new irrigation systems installed alongside population, constancy and tradition, as these areas as fundamentally diff erent the introduction of harvesting and silo well as agricultural production. “lifeworlds”. Conversely, we are seeing technologies. This mechanized agricul- Taking a closer look at the engraving, activities introduced in cities that we as- ture dovetails with the international however, we recognize that this opposi- sociate with the countryside. Urban farm- goods and commodity trade, which sup- tion is not so clear cut. The city is not coming is one example. Urban and rural areas plies wheat and rice to China, for instance. pletely built up. There are various areas have reached an extremely high degree of In the north of the country, along with a that have not been built on and even some interconnection. railroad line between Nairobi and Mom- that are used for agriculture, for instance The binary contrast of urban versus basa, a multimodal infrastructure corri- between the Aeschenvorstadt and St.-Al- rural is problematic not only because it dor is being built that will comprise a ban-Vorstadt neighborhoods. By contrast, does not explain built reality or the inter- highway, railroad line, oil pipeline, and the fields outside the city walls have connection between cities and the coun- ﬁ ber optic cable. In parallel, new towns highly regular, predominantly rectangu- tryside; it can also lead to other dualist are planned to be built along the routes in lar shapes that appear to be the result of perceptions and judgments. If this view is areas that have so far not experienced this deliberate design. In other words, we can adopted and cities are conceived of as form of urbanization. identify urban elements in the rural area places of progress and modernity, there is Kenyan villages are being equipped and vice versa. a tendency not only to treat them as sepa- with cell phone towers, and the African rate from rural areas but also, implicitly, continent in general is considered to be Mutual dependence to see them as separate from cities outside leading the world in the development of In present-day Switzerland, as in other the Western world. The urban – rural di- micropayment technologies as well as the parts of the world, these categories are chotomy is thus linked to a distinction use of telephone-based transfers and cash- becoming blurred. With urban and rural between the supposedly modern cities of less payments. This has brought a brisk

16 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier trade to cities such as Nairobi, Abidjan, gees have established trading centers and Lagos or Dakar, allowing people in distant shopping malls. Thanks to their global villages to exchange goods and services connections, Somali diasporas in Dubai, more quickly and reliably than in many Hong Kong, Minneapolis and London are other parts of the world. able to import goods to Nairobi at lower Thanks to their creativity, resource cost than Kenyans could. As a result, not use, urban culture, and sense of commu- only has Eastleigh been transformed into Manuel Herz nity, and in stark contrast to the portrayed a trading hub that attracts buyers from all is an architect and Professor backwardness, cities of the Global South over Kenya and even neighboring Uganda of Architectural, Urban and often usher in developments that are later and Tanzania, but an entirely unique ty- Territorial Design at the University echoed by the West. These are cities that pology of shopping centers has emerged, of Basel’s Division of Urban Studies. His research focuses on can teach us new forms of urban life. The whose architecture is geared toward the the relationship between land- new transportation systems introduced in fi nancial situation of Somali refugees. use planning and state power in, Kenya and other African countries have These malls are vibrant places that among other places, refugee enabled, among other things, a new kind radiate an extraordinarily rich urban cul- camps in Africa. His architectural of periodic migration, with people mov- ture throughout all three dimensions. projects have won several international awards. ing to cities for a few months in order to While the factors that led to the urban sell goods from the villages before return- transformation of Eastleigh – refugees, ing to their villages and repeating the cy- international fl ows of goods, and a United cle. Here, too, the distinction between Nations presence, to name but a few – are what is urban and what is rural is becom- a sign and result of globalization, East- ing increasingly fl uid. leigh’s markets and urban culture are unique and could have evolved in this way Cities and globalization only in Nairobi. As well as highlighting This is not to say that cities have become the fascinating lifeworlds that cities like indistinguishable from the countryside – Nairobi have to off er, this translates into although some scholars, for instance an academic duty to investigate and try to American urban theorist Neil Brenner, understand them, taking them just as seri- talk about urbanization aff ecting every ously as cities in other parts of the world. region of the world at every level. What And it reveals the conscious or uncon- we can say is that urban cultures, fl ows of scious prescience inherent in Matthäus goods, economies, planning practices and Merian’s city map. infrastructures are highly likely to occur in places that are less densely built up than a typical city. Nor does questioning dualist notions imply a prediction that globalization will lead to all cities becoming more and more alike. It is frequently claimed and indeed taken for granted that owing to the global reach of international brands and the pro- liferation of “non-places” such as shop- Matthäus Merian, view ping malls, airports, international chain of the city from a hotels, and theme parks, our cities are bird’s eye perspective becoming more and more interchange- from the northeast, 1615/1617: famous de- able. Although all these infl uences do ex- piction of the Basel in ist, I claim that, on the contrary, globaliza- the Middle Ages. tion is causing cities to continually diff er- entiate themselves.

Thriving trade centers Let me illustrate this with an example: Near downtown Nairobi, the neighborhood of Eastleigh has been developing, where, since the early 1990s, Somali refu-

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 17 Dossier

Totengässli, Basel Documented evidence of this name has existed since the 13th century. The name refers to an old, winding path on what was then an undeveloped hillside connecting St. Peter’s Church and the settlement in the valley below. In former times, the deceased were carried from the valley below up the path to St. Peter’s church graveyard.

18 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

Linguistics Field names – ancient, but still alive.

Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher

e can learn a great deal about both the settlement history of Wa region and the development of the language from the fi eld names recorded on maps, for instance, or in archival documents: names like Spitzbühl, Lätte- loch, Hüngeler and Huebacker. Often these names are still familiar to some, but many people do not know where they come from. For several years, researchers at the Univer- sity of Basel have been busy collecting local place names in Northwestern Switzer- land and providing a scholarly analysis of their meaning. This involves compiling data from archives, talking to village chroniclers and exploring the countryside on fi eld trips with local informants, during which the precise location of those fi eld names that are still known – as well as the names of settlements, streets, bodies of water and mountains – is established and their local pronunciation is recorded. The data are then fed into a database, to be published at a later date. The name books for the cantons of Basel-Stadt (2016) and Baselland (2017), con- sisting of several volumes and containing tens of thousands of individual names, are already complete and can be accessed in book form. Each of these projects was af- fi liated to the Department of German Lan- guage and Literature at the University of Basel, which is now also the base for the researchers working on the Solothurn place name and fi eld name book. Their fourth volume, Die Flur- und Siedlungsnamen der Amtei Thal-Gäu (The Names of Fields and Settlements in the Electoral District of Thal-Gäu), with around 9,000 names, was published last winter. The remaining two volumes are due to appear by 2022. The photos in this issue’s dossier are related to certain “telling” fi eld names in Northwestern Switzerland, which can be traced back to a particular social situation or a confl ict. namenbuch-solothurn.ch ortsnamen.ch

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 19 Dossier

Basel, its population and the city walls.

Historians are investigating how the spatial development of Basel since the Middle Ages has affected social life in the city and vice versa.

Text: Jörg Becher

here is a widely held belief that “Basel marches According to Professor Susanna Burghartz, a histo- to the beat of a diff erent drum.” Due to its rian who specializes in the early modern period, T frontier location, it is said, this historic settle- “there were orchards and vegetable gardens there, as ment on the borders of Switzerland, Germany and well as vineyards. Small farm animals were also France has never really fi tted in within the Swiss kept.” For example, we have records of a lawsuit in Confederation, unlike Zurich and Berne. As a center St Alban in which a swineherd was accused of not of the pharmaceutical industry and a Mecca for art looking after the animals in his charge properly. “Or lovers, the city region now has connections all a livestock farmer may have put his dung heap in the around the globe. Yet at the same time, Basel is seen wrong place. These were sorts of confl icts that were as exuding the comfortable charm of a small town, happening at the time,” Burghartz observes. while its residents are said to think primarily in local The city walls always had a symbolic as well as a terms, with an occasional tendency toward navel- protective function, as they separated a space that gazing. Where does this blend of cosmopolitanism both imposed obligations on its residents and off ered and provincialism come from? And what does the them legal privileges from an underprivileged, but city’s historical development have to do with it? less strictly regulated, area. In this sense, the stone From the High Middle Ages until the middle of ramparts always exercised a powerful infl uence over the 19th century, Basel was surrounded by city walls. the lives of those within their bounds, too. Following the earthquake of 1356, these were rebuilt Thus, residents were not able simply to leave and extended, as a highly visible marker of the dis- the city. On Sundays, in particular, you could not tinction between the city and the surrounding coun- do anything without a pass. The idea behind this tryside. The city was subject to a diff erent legal re- was that citizens should go to church before in- gime from the area beyond the fortifi cations. Even dulging in other pleasures, if necessary. In villages inside the walls, there were diff erent legal jurisdic- around the city such as Allschwil and Kleinhünin- tions such as Kleinbasel, which was founded as a gen, dancing and prostitution played an important separate town and did not merge with its big sister role, as so-called “women’s houses” – that is, broth- across the river until 1392. Special courts continued els – had been banned within the city walls since to exist in Kleinbasel into the early modern period to the Reformation. administer its local laws. Citizens with privileges Farming in the suburbs The period following the Reformation saw not just Suburbs like St Johann and St Alban also had their the imposition of stricter moral standards, but also own justice systems to deal with minor disputes and a noticeable tightening up of the rules on naturaliza- off enses. Unlike the city center, these suburbs re- tion. “Because citizens did not want to share their tained an agricultural character for quite some time. privileges, no more new citizens were created in the

20 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

18th century, which led to a signiﬁ cant short-time entity, where no one is allowed to stand out too decline in the population,” Burghartz explains. Al- much. In earlier times, however, there was no such though the national borders were already customs insistence on modesty. Right into the early modern borders, there was no real passport control. Accord- period, Basel was a colorful city with many paintings ing to Professor Martin Lengwiler, who specializes on its buildings. A good example was the house “Zum in modern history, “Up to World War I, the laws Tanz”, not far from the ﬁ sh market, whose facade governing ‘small-scale cross-border traffi c’ were very was decorated with frescoes by Hans Holbein the liberal. It was similar to the situation today, where Younger. Only from the 17th century onward did it you can get to southern Baden or neighboring parts become fashionable to paint houses’ facades in black of Alsace relatively quickly, and often without hav- and white, giving them a much more restrained ap- ing to show ID.” pearance. When the canton of Basel was split in 1833, the city was cut off from its traditional hinterland. Since large areas within the city limits such as Gellert and Gundeldingen were still undeveloped, the bulk of the increase in population that occurred in the 19th century could be accommodated there. Only after about 1870, when Basel’s growth took off , did the city’s frontier location start to become a factor in town planning. Previously, its districts had not been divided on class lines; the population lived cheek by jowl, with poorer groups such as domestic servants and porters often being housed in basements, the upper stories of buildings or annexes. The phenomenon of segregation, where individual districts are inhabited exclusively by particular social classes, is thus relatively new in historical terms.

“More modest, more boring, more frugal” Housing policy was less interventionist in Basel than in Zurich or Geneva, not least because in the city, with its humanist traditions, many things were traditionally run on philanthropic lines. At the end of the 19th century, the Gesellschaft für das Gute und Gemeinnützige (GGG; Society for the Common Good) played a particularly active role in house- building. Socially minded employers also off ered their workers cheap accommodation. By contrast, the ﬁ rst municipal law providing for subsidized housing did not come into force in Basel until shortly before World War I. Like other Swiss cities with republican constitu- tions, Basel had no courtly society that lived by its own rules. “Life was diff erent without an aristocracy,” Burghartz says. “Everything was a bit more Basel’s Gate of Spalentor housing customs and guardrooms, ca. 1860: modest, more boring, more frugal. Elsewhere, by It was built after the earthquake of 1356 as a part of the extended contrast, the aristocracy acted as luxury consumers city walls, which then marked a clear separation between inner city and and attracted scholars and artists. Still, Basel had a surrounding areas. Following the deconstruction of the city walls toward the end of the end of the 19th century, only the St. Johann and university that was able to take on some of that role.” St. Alban gates remain in addition to the Spalentor. Can Basel’s proverbial modesty, its oft-cited un- derstatedness, be explained by the city’s lack of a courtly tradition, perhaps? Burghartz does not think so. Rather, she sees the phenomenon as attributable to the prevailing social attitude within a municipal

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 21 Dossier

Amerikanerblätz, Hägendorf, Canton of Solothurn For a time, the gold rush and cheap land in California enticed the less wealthy people in the village of Hägendorf to set sail for America. Amerikaner- blätz was where these people awaited the coach that would take them ﬁ rst to Paris and then on to the coast where their ship awaited them.

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22 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

New housing for social change.

Text: Samuel Schlaeﬂ i

Co-operative living is back en vogue. A Basel-based sociologist is following the development of new housing projects and researching their innovative and socially transformative potential.

ince the beginning of this millennium, com- tant motives are creating stronger social connections munity-oriented housing co-operatives have and support networks to overcome a sense of isola- Sexperienced a renaissance. LeNa and wohnen& tion and a lack of social security. mehr in Basel, Kalkbreite and Kraftwerk 1 in Zurich, For co-project manager Dietmar Wetzel, the con- Warmbächli in Bern, or the Giesserei in Winterthur – cept is also about redefi ning our notion of commu- they all serve the same mission of creating aff ordable, nity and challenging the boundaries of our willing- needs-based, sustainable housing options. This is not Sanna ness to share with others. People don’t sit through Frischknecht a novel vision: The fi rst housing co-ops in Switzerland is writing her disser- hours of meetings, engage in heated debates, and date back to the mid-19th century. So what’s driving tation in sociology struggle through red tape just because social circum- this new spike of interest at this particular moment? on various types of stances and economic or ecological crises compel This is the central question Sanna Frischknecht housing co-ope- them, Wetzel argues. Being part of the “alternative explores in her dissertation, which is part of the ratives. Her research co-op scene” is also a way to live one’s own ideal of interests focus on SNF project “Transformative Communities as Inno- urban and housing a sustainable lifestyle. This is why it’s no surprise vative Forms of Living?” at the Department of Social sociology, housing that housing co-ops lean toward community-sup- Sciences. The researcher is taking an in-depth look co-operatives and ported agriculture and other aspects of the alterna- at several housing co-ops that all share an interest social movements. tive economy. in “community-led, co-operative housing”. “Com- mon elements of these projects are ideals such as No substitute for the welfare state democratic decision-making and self-administra- A closer look at the composition of these active tion, as well as architecture that meets the need for groups reveals that many members are around 30 or community and for privacy at the same time,” the over 55. Most are socially and culturally relatively sociologist says. well-placed citizens with a stable fi nancial base. “You Her main interest is not so much the end prod- have to invest a lot of time in the process of creating uct, that is living in the fi nished building, but rather Dietmar Wetzel such a co-op; it can take years,” Frischknecht says. is co-project mana- the process of creating it, which can span years: “The And yet, there are practical ways to also make proj- ger of the SNF negotiations about guiding notions, housing con- project “Transforma- ects and housing available to the socially disadvan- cepts, and cooperation convey the motivations, de- tive Communities taged, be it through partnerships with public au- sires and predicaments of those involved.” as Innovative thorities and institutions, or by co-ops raising their Forms of Living?” at own solidarity funds. the Department Actively fi ghting housing shortages Yet, Wetzel feels that private eff orts to assume of Social Sciences For many participants, the main incentive for their at the University public tasks also entail certain dangers. For it is a key time-consuming and mostly volunteer-based involve- of Basel. neoliberal strategy to harness private initiative to al- ment in community co-ops is the fact that an acute low the state to back away from its social responsi- housing crisis in cities and rising real-estate prices bilities: “Such housing projects are not supposed to make it impossible for them to adequately meet their be an opportunity for the welfare state to retreat housing needs, Frischknecht explains. Other impor- under the pretext of individual responsibility.”

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 23 Dossier

Where the life sciences are concentrated.

As one of the world’s leading locations for life sciences, the Basel region is home to a cluster of companies and organizations that not only compete with one another but also engage in cooperation. These are the ﬁ ndings of a new research study in the ﬁ eld of geography.

Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher

he view extends over Basel and far A lack of patent law of locations and regional development,” beyond. On his geography fi eld In France, a patent law had existed for explains Rita Schneider-Sliwa, Professor Ttrip on the history of life sciences chemical products since 1844, provid- of Geography. in the region stretching back over 500 ing protection not for the chemical years, doctoral student Thomas Vogel manufacturing process or the inventor, What are the benefi ts of a cluster? stands atop Roche’s “Building 1” offi ce but rather for the manufacturing com- Specifi cally, her doctoral student Thomas tower and talks about the infl uential pany and the product itself. Many in- Vogel is studying the advantages for com- apothecaries’ guild of the Late Middle ventors therefore emigrated to Basel, panies of locating themselves in the Basel Ages, as well as the humanist anatomists where products patented abroad could Life Sciences Cluster, as well as the sec- and printers that spread the city’s medi- still be manufactured until the advent toral and corporate structures and inter- cal and pharmaceutical expertise far and of the Chemical Patents Act in 1907. Ini- connections that the cluster produces. To wide. When religious refugees, innova- tially, the companies established here this end, he has surveyed 766 life sciences tors, and later industrialists from France operated as conglomerates that had companies in the region, achieving a re- came to the region, they spurred on its evolved over many years. A series of sponse rate of 20.2 %. development: from dyes for the silk rib- subsequent mergers and spin-offs led to In general, the companies consider bon industry to chemistry, pharmacy and more focused lines of business. With the conurbation a good place to do busi- the life sciences. Novartis and Roche, Basel is now home ness: of six infl uencing variables, those The immigrants brought with them to the world’s second- and third-largest most frequently cited as positive were the expertise, capital, and business relation- pharmaceutical companies in terms of supporting infrastructure, residential and ships, which would then combine with revenue. leisure amenities, and transport infra- Basel’s own entrepreneurial spirit and lo- A cluster is defi ned as a local con- structure. On the other hand, their re- cal capital. Over the years, hundreds of centration of similar enterprises. This sponse was less positive in relation to the large and small businesses have arrived situation can lead to innovation and availability of highly skilled local workers, on the scene: specialist suppliers and competitive advantages, as well as pro- for example, which leads the companies companies working in research and devel- viding a boost to the regional economy, to recruit skilled workers internationally. opment, production, sales, and consult- as highly specialized companies often Using what is known as a geographical ing in areas such as textile chemistry, choose to establish themselves only in information system (GIS), Vogel is creating pharmaceuticals, medical engineering, certain regions despite the possibility of the fi rst comprehensive overview of the biotechnology, and agrochemistry. The opening locations worldwide. “The choice life sciences cluster by sectoral, corporate city’s location on the River Rhine was con- of location is therefore an important and spatial structure. The companies are venient for production, transport, and the area of geographical research, typically concentrated geographically in the can- discharge of effl uents. yielding new insights for the promotion tons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft,

24 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier with the most important industry being What is noticeable here is that the Univer- origins in long-standing, historic tradi- the pharmaceutical industry, followed by sity of Basel together with its partners tions – and that today builds upon the medical engineering and biotechnology. It and associated institutions (Biozentrum, positive overall assessment of the Basel is clear from the analyses that the region University Hospital Basel, University Chil- region as a place to do business. Numer- is a research-intensive location – but also dren’s Hospital Basel, Swiss TPH, FMI) ous soft location factors also play a role that manufacturing continues to play a play a central role in the life sciences re- here. By contrast, opinions were less key role. The geographer sees the high search network (without including Roche positive with regard to factors arising concentration of companies relative to the and Novartis) and account for 48 % of all in part from the discretionary scope of size of the city as a distinguishing feature collaborations. policies geared toward a knowledge of the Basel Life Sciences Cluster. Where the companies in the cluster economy, such as the lack of local have Twitter accounts, Vogel has studied skilled workers that companies com- Cooperation within the network them to see who refers to whom as a fol- plained about in the survey. “Research In addition to the supply of international lower. As expected, this again revealed a findings like these support efforts to skilled workers, the perceived beneﬁ ts for clear process of clustering: “The large com- adapt training structures to the specific companies of a location in the Basel clus- panies have the most followers within the needs of the labor market and develop ter include the opportunities for collabo- cluster and therefore play a key role in them on an ongoing basis,” Vogel says ration and informal contacts. Through a communication, as well as enjoying in relation to his work. In his view, this network analysis, Vogel is examining the greater reach,” says the researcher. also applies to plans to create new cen- question of whether and how companies, ters – such as the University of Basel’s institutions, and organizations within the Employees and training structures Life Sciences Campus – that will make cluster are interconnected in terms of In conclusion, the study reveals pro- this an even more attractive location business and research relationships. nounced cluster formation that has its for research.

EPFL

UZH

ETH

D-BSSE other

Unibas ZHAW

Network analysis The University of Basel, together with the Biozentrum, University FHNW Hospital, University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB), Swiss TPH, DHBW and FMI, is the key component in the Life Sciences Cluster network; not including Roche and Novartis. This hub is growing as the number of collaborations expand.

Pharmaceutical companies Biotechnology companies Other companies Medical technology companies Agrochemical companies University/Research institute

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 25 Dossier

Armeholz, Arlesheim, Canton of Basel-Landschaft During the French Revolution, the steep, forested valley of Armeholz is said to have been gifted to the poor people of Arlesheim for their personal use. The donor was a certain Sebastian Becheaux,eaux, marchand commissionairecommissio patentépatenté in Pruntrut.Pruntrut.

More on page 19

26 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier City districts: shifting spaces.

Cities are structured into different districts. A human geographer has been exploring the characteristics of Basel’s neighborhoods.

Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher

eighborhoods can be large or small. Some are “image” – is closely linked to the average social sta- arranged around a center, while others are tus of those living there. “It turned out that these Nnot. They have diff erent histories, and to- ideas were extremely persistent and, to some extent, gether they form the blend that makes up a city. simplistic,” Schlumpf says, noting that the socio- Who lives in which districts? How do people perceive spatial reality is often diff erent from what exists in these neighborhoods, in all their diversity? What im- people’s consciousness. Esther Schlumpf age do residents have of the area on their doorstep? She is amazed that Basel, with its particular ge- has a doctorate in And how best can cities improve the visibility of their ography, is still capable of creating new districts: in human geography. districts as social spaces with their own identities? the harbor area, Klybeck and the Erlenmatt develop- She went on to The geographer Esther Schlumpf has been asking ment. Here a real “district within a district”, with study urban and regional manage- these kinds of questions, with particular reference to residents from diff erent backgrounds, has sprung up ment, and currently the city of Basel. in Rosental. To some extent, public participation is works as a project Schlumpf, who is originally from the canton of also built into the planning process, which Schlumpf leader for the Aargau, lived fi rst in Grossbasel and then in Kleinba- sees as helping to foster a sense of identity and be- regional economic sel while she was at university. The city was an unfa- longing. “There is evidence that people who move development company RW Ober- miliar research location for her at fi rst, as she did not around a lot within a particular space and exchange wallis AG. know much about its 19 districts beforehand. For her ideas there have a more realistic image of that space dissertation, she surveyed more than 2,000 residents and are more actively committed to it,” she says. from seven selected districts, using questionnaires. What recommendations does Schlumpf have for “The fi rst thing that struck me was that the popula- politicians? In her view, everything possible should tion have very diff erent perceptions of the various be done to support eff orts to strengthen a district’s suburbs. They see some as quiet and well-to-do, oth- character, residents’ identifi cation with it, and their ers as dirty, creative and vibrant,” Schlumpf says. She sense of belonging to it. This involves not just creat- also spoke to and interviewed numerous profession- ing public spaces where people can meet, for exam- als drawn from politics, government, town planning ple, but also measures that actually encourage people and architecture. to go to these places. This could range from com- Even the names attached to districts are signifi - munity centers and neighborhood initiatives through cant. Schlumpf discovered, for example, that suburbs to street festivals, and composting groups. abolished decades ago, such as the Hegenheim dis- “More could be done to publicize the diff erent trict, which is nowadays offi cially part of the Iselin characteristics of the city’s districts, in all their diver- district, are still known to their residents by their old sity, to the outside world,” Schlumpf adds, raising names. Conversely, there are names around today, the issue of location marketing. She therefore sees such as “Am Ring” in Grossbasel, whose use is con- new initiatives such as the Saturday market in the fi ned to government or statistics; no one living in the Matthäus district, which started up a few years ago, area would call it that. as positive developments. Here, people can shop for City districts are living spaces. Many change ev- fruit and vegetables right in the heart of the city. ery few years, while others retain their character Schlumpf came to appreciate the hustle and bustle over a long period. One of the study’s conclusions is of this urban market while working on her disserta- that, on the whole, how people see a district – its tion, as she lived very close by.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 27 Dossier

Neighborhoods 2.0

Are neighborhoods becoming less important in an individualized and increasingly mobile society? Not according to cultural anthropologist Christina Besmer, who claims that they are simply changing form as diversity grows and society is digitalized.

Text: Samuel Schlaeﬂ i

umpipumpe.ch, a global neighborhood net- the neighborhood in which Besmer started her re- work founded six years ago by two Swiss search, is an example of what cultural scientists call Pgraphic designers, promotes a sharing society, “super-diversity”: A population not only of many dif- rather than a throwaway society. More than 9,000 ferent nationalities, but also many diff erent life- households now help to shape their neighborhood styles, religions, mobility patterns, and age groups. via the online platform and by placing stickers on Besmer began her ﬁ eldwork by taking percep- Christina Besmer’s their letterboxes. If you don’t want to buy a bicycle tual walks and participating in local neighborhood dissertation looks pump or drill that will only be used a few times a events – and found herself surprised: “Cities are gen- at urban neigh- year, the digital map will show you anyone in your erally seen as places of anonymity, density, move- borhood practices area willing to lend theirs out, allowing you to collect ment, and ephemerality. Discourses on globalization, with a focus on Kleinbasel. it from their home. Pumpipumpe.ch also sends out digital networking, and individualization all point to stickers for members to place on their letterboxes a decline in the importance of local communities and showing the items available. spaces.” However, she perceived the discourse locally to be somewhat diff erent: “Everywhere there were Super-diverse district references to ‘neighborhood’, for example in partici- Pumpipumpe.ch promotes a new way of organizing patory processes, local events, and new apps that aim your neighborhood, packaged in a contemporary to help people get to know their neighbors.” design, supported by digital media, and with a delib- Besmer soon saw how strongly normative the erate emphasis on fun. For Christina Besmer, a cul- term “neighborhood” can be, particularly during tural anthropologist at the University of Basel, this participant observations in urban participatory pro- project is an example of what she calls “doing neigh- cesses. Since 2005, participatory urban development borhood”: “I see the concept of neighborhood not as has been enshrined in the constitution of the canton something given that cannot be altered, but as a so- of Basel-Stadt in the form of participatory processes. cial framework that people are constantly producing These processes aim to guarantee that residents, and reproducing, its form diff ering depending on the even those not entitled to vote, are involved in shap- time and context.” ing their immediate surroundings. Besmer says that Besmer has been focusing on the “making” of while participation is voluntary, the process is always neighborhoods since 2013. Her research is part of the based on the notion that the neighborhood is a single SNSF “Media Worlds and Everyday Urbanism” proj- entity with shared values on the importance of par- ect, which examines current social developments in ticipation. This groups diverse people at various the district of Unteres Kleinbasel. Basel-Matthäus, stages of life, with diff erent social, economic, and

28 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

cultural capital, with diff erent connections to places, Besmer explains that, over the last few years, digita- diff erent lifestyles and backgrounds into one homo- lization and new media have brought another new geneous collective. “Eff orts to strengthen interaction dynamic to the “doing neighborhood”. “Previously, and neighborship in the local area therefore always neighborhoods had clear spatial defi nitions based on aim to hold something together that diverges in con- your place of residence and were inescapable. Today, ditions of super-diversity.” they are often temporary and chosen by the people themselves.” The Pumpipumpe.ch portal is an ex- Making complexity tangible pression not only of a new desire to share, but also In her research project, Besmer examines the ques- of increasingly fl exible social relationships. tion of how neighborhoods are established in diff erent social contexts. “This helps us to understand how urban communal life and coexistence is organized in cases of super-diversity.” In addition to participant observations during participatory processes and other events, she conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with local residents and people involved in the “making of a neighborhood” in various capacities. One idea recurred throughout the interviews: “The concept of neighborhood helps to make tangible the complexity of a modern, globalized society by break- “ Previously, ing it down into local spaces.” neighborhoods had Besmer provides a specifi c example: In August 2013, she took part in an anti-littering campaign clear spatial defi nitions called a “trashmob”, that had been initiated follow- based on your place ing a discussion evening organized by the Kleinbasel local district offi ce. On a Saturday afternoon, around of residence and were in- 60 volunteers picked up trash in the neighborhood: escapable. Today, they “The global refuse problem is far from solved, but participants were able to do something practical to are often temporary and help on a manageable scale.” Interestingly, this was chosen by the people inspired by a similar campaign in India that a group member had found online. The trashmob is also an themselves.” example of the increasing links between local and Christina Besmer global developments.

New concepts through new media Besmer’s research also showed that different groups assign diff erent meanings to the concept of neighborhood. For the canton, neighborhoods primarily off er potential for offi cial urban development. For autonomous groups, they are the basis for resisting this development. Start-ups, meanwhile, see neighborhoods as opportunities to develop apps to earn money.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 29 Dossier A critical take on sedentarism.

Text: Samuel Schlaeﬂ i

The expectation that “migrants” should become actively involved in the local community of the urban district in which they live is often at odds with their mobility patterns and motivations.

t was certainly a forward-looking idea: positive notion of rootedness combined So what should urban planners and neigh- The plan was to create a smartphone with small-scale units such as districts or borhood associations do? Should they Iapp to help reach out to all neighbor- neighborhoods viewed as valuable and as- abandon their eff orts to involve as many hood residents, including newcomers and sociated with a sense of belonging, well- diverse inhabitants as possible in decision- people with limited German skills, to in- maintained relationships, and a willing- making processes? “No, they shouldn’t,” tegrate them into neighborhood life. The ness to contribute to the shape of a shared she says emphatically. “However, we app was intended to combine informa- living environment. She says that mobility- should take seriously the fact that the tion on small local businesses and sales driven lives in Basel are often treated as a same physical environment means diff er- promotions with news content provided, problem that needs to be solved: “Both the ent things to diff erent people. And we for instance, by local district offi ces. How- city council and neighborhood associations should think of public participation as ever, after a series of planning meetings strive to promote a lasting sense of belong- dependent on individual or even situa- and the development of a prototype, the ing to the local area. But people with trans- tional motivation rather than as a func- idea was shelved for the time being be- national experience who lead mobile lives tion either of the current place of resi- cause the app did not do justice to the aren’t necessarily keen to commit to this dence or origin.” complexity of the local social setup. kind of neighborhood life.” As Ina Dietzsch explains, for people who currently live in the Matthäus dis- False premises Weddings in the border triangle trict but do not know how long they will University of Basel cultural anthropolo- By way of example, Dietzsch cites the stay or who know that they will not stay, gist Ina Dietzsch has analyzed the prob- Kurdish diaspora, which she knows well. it may not make sense to go through a lems plaguing the development of the This diaspora is particularly prominent in time-consuming participation process in neigh borhood life app: “Language issues, the Matthäus district. She talked to male order to have their say in urban planning users’ technical skills, reaching poor and female Kurds from diff erent genera- matters, whose realization may lie far in people without reliable Internet access – tions, attended weddings, and accompa- the future. On the other hand, she adds, these are all challenges that can be over- nied families on trips to southeastern non-residents or even passers-by may be come,” she says, before adding, “The main Turkey to learn more about their mobility the ones to contribute ideas. “The grow- problem was false premises.” patterns as well as the ways in which they ing cultural diversity in cities must lead According to Ina Dietzsch, the diffi cul- use media to create social networks and to the insight for all those who want to ties encountered in creating the app are communities. “Basel’s Kurdish commu- engage city users that any form of attribu- symptomatic of the problems facing proj- nity has very strong trinational links,” tion and expectation based on totalizing ects aimed at fostering interaction under says Dietzsch. “For many, it’s not so much generalization and categorization is the conditions of what anthropologists and the district they live in, but rather family doomed to fail.” social scientists call “super-diversity”. In networks and weddings especially in the the course of her ﬁ eld research in Basel’s tri-border area where signiﬁ cant sociality Matthäus district, as well as in talks with occurs.” As an additional factor, she men- urban planners and neighborhood coordi- tions Kurds’ diff erent understanding of Ina Dietzsch nators of participation processes, she often politics, explaining that, as a result of the is a private lecturer and found the implicit expectation that every- decades-long political struggle for their research associate at the University of Basel’s one living in the neighborhood be involved rights, many Kurds’ notion of politics is Institute of Cultural in shaping it. Dietzsch puts this down to a related more to a European rather than Anthropology and Euro- “normative concept of sedentarism,” a an urban neighborhood scale. pean Ethnology.

30 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

Heimatlosenblätz, Anwil, Basel-Landschaft; Kienberg, Solothurn; and Wittnau, Aargau With none of the three cantons that it borders on laying claim to this steep woodlands area, Heimatlosenblätz was, for a long time, no more than a blank spot on the map. It was here in this legal no-man’s land with no jurisdiction that beggars and vagrants sought refuge and protection. In 1931, the three-sided boundary stone was ﬁ nally laid and the land divided among the three cantons.

More on page 19

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 31 Dossier The lives of cross-border commuters.

Some 320,000 commuters – twice as many as 20 years ago – cross the border into Switzerland for work. Sociologist Cédric Duchêne-Lacroix takes a closer look at the complex lives of cross-border commuters.

Text: Tobias Ehrenbold

hen his Swiss co-workers sign off at the Basel is the third most important destination in Swit- end of the working day and go out for a zerland for employees whose usual residence is Wdrink together, he unfortunately has to abroad. The canton of Basel-Stadt now has just short catch the train; otherwise he wouldn’t get back of 37,000 cross-border commuters, while the canton home to his family in France until after ten in the of Baselland has an additional 21,000 plus. One in six evening. By crossing over the border he was sadly employees here lives either in Germany or France. Cédric missing “plein de choses” (all kinds of things), one re- There are other border movements in the Basel re- Duchêne-Lacroix spondent explained to the authors of the study “The gion, says Duchêne-Lacroix, citing shopping tourism is lecturer at the Department of Situation of Cross-Border Commuters in Switzer- as an example. Movement here is in the other direc- Social Sciences at land”. Generally speaking, maintaining friendships, tion, with Swiss consumers shopping in nearby towns the University living a family life, or pursuing hobbies is quite a across the border, often resulting in traffi c jams in of Basel. Since 2007, challenge for cross-border commuters, explains Cé- German border towns. According to a study, Swiss- one of his ongoing dric Duchêne-Lacroix, who conducted the study in German shopping tourism makes up as much as 70 % research topics has been multilocality. collaboration with colleagues at Basel and Luxem- of business in the border towns. Besides interna- In social science, burg universities as well as the Geneva School of tional cross-border traffi c, there is also cross-border people who use Social Work. According to the study, cross-border movement within the diff erent cantons in Switzer- places of abode at commuters tend to be better qualifi ed, highly mo- land. The city of Basel alone, for instance, attracts more than one bile, and well integrated in Switzerland. 50,000 employees from the Basel region. Interest- location are considered a new mass ingly, these commuters are rarely referred to as phenomenon. A International Northwestern Switzerland cross-border commuters. study conducted by Cross-border commuters have existed as long as Here, Duchêne-Lacroix is referring to a peculiar- research institution there have been borders. Since 2000, the number of ity that borders have—the fact that we perceive ETH-Wohnforum cross-border commuters in Switzerland has more them diff erently, because their signifi cance often and supervised by Duchêne-Lacroix than doubled to almost 320,000 today. In other only unfolds in our minds. In Basel, the notion of concluded that words, more than 6 % of all employees reside abroad; borders would appear to be less strong than else- a good 25 % of the in some regions this fi gure is even as high as 25 %. where. Here, chance meetings with people from a people in Switzer- This signifi cant rise in numbers had already started neighboring country, for example, are part and par- land, i.e. some two to manifest itself even before the introduction of the cel of daily life. What has changed in recent years, million people, live ‘multilocally’. Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), however, is the origin of the cross-border commut- following a decline in cross-border commuters in the ers. In the 20th century, most came from the Alsace 1990s, explains Duchêne-Lacroix. This trend is not and often worked in factories and retail stores, related to a slackening of work permit regulations, whereas now an increasing number of people who but rather to Switzerland’s economic stability. live in Germany have offi ce or lab jobs in Basel.

32 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Dossier

“ Having roots At present, the number of French and German cross- in your home town or border commuters in Basel is roughly equal. The German workforce tends to be highly qualifi ed and, city tends to be more having German as a native tongue, they have the important for women with edge over the French, says Duchêne-Lacroix. Swiss salaries—which are often signifi cantly higher than families than for men.” across the border—are without a doubt one of the Cédric Duchêne-Lacroix decisive factors here. It would be oversimplifying matters, however, to say that the motivation behind cross-border movement of labor is purely fi nancial. More important, for example, is the prospect of an international career, explains Duchêne-Lacroix. Em- ployment mobility among young people, in particular, is very high, with young workers changing their residence situation to suit their job and some not ies show, the labor market in Switzerland relies on infrequently even setting up home in several loca- them. It’s as simple as that, explains Duchêne-La- tions at the same time. croix, citing the example of the healthcare sector, which would have signifi cant bottlenecks to deal Competition from across the borders with if it weren’t for cross-border workers. Even con- In his research, Duchêne-Lacroix has observed how sidering the many care jobs carried out predomi- diff erent the perception of cross-border commuters nantly by women from across the border, there has is from one part of Switzerland to the next. In the been little impact on the structure of the cross-bor- north, for example, political reactions are barely dis- der workforce, with almost two-thirds being male. cernible, whereas in Geneva and Ticino, cross-border Having roots in your home town or city tends to be workers or frontaliers, as they are commonly referred more important for women than for men, Duchêne- to, are very much a political issue. “These regions are Lacroix says. According to a study, female cross-bor- seeing the biggest increase in the number of cross- der workers are less likely to pursue new friendships border commuters,” explains Duchêne-Lacroix, add- in Switzerland than their male counterparts. ing that “while cross-border commuters go practically unnoticed in the north-west, on the labor mar- Statistics do not refl ect the reality ket here they are seen as foreign competition.” In the One hundred years ago, the situation was the oppo- two cantons frequented most by cross-border com- site, with more Swiss workers crossing the border for muters—more than 84,000 in Geneva and almost work than foreigners. With the exception of Liech- 65,000 in Ticino—right-wing populist parties have tenstein, where more than 10,000 Swiss are em- long since been urging for action to be taken. Ac- ployed, the daily commute between Switzerland and cording to the Geneva Citizens’ Movement (MCG), abroad has been completely reversed. In Baden, which began in 2005, the frontaliers are partly to which is located in the German state of Baden-Wuert- blame for the persistent traffi c jams in Geneva. temberg, for example, the ratio of Swiss to German Meanwhile in Ticino, the movie Frontaliers Disas- cross-border commuters is 600 to 35,000. ter (which roughly translates to: The Misadventures of There may be more and more statistics, explains a Cross-border Commuter) sheds a comical, humorous Duchêne-Lacroix, but cross-border commuters con- light on this phenomenon. Such negative portrayals tinue to be poorly recorded. The diff erent methods of cross-border workers played a decisive role in used by the various offi ces mean that it’s often im- securing victory for the “yes” vote in the 2014 refer- possible to compare fi gures. Many cross-border com- endum on mass immigration in Switzerland. Slo- muters are also often too mobile to be recorded at gans such as “Prima i Ticinesi!” (“Ticino First!”) all. The Swiss Federal Statistical Offi ce, for instance, served to underline the new dichotomies during the only records cross-border commuters with cross- referendum campaign: Swiss/Frontaliers – Us/Them – border permits who return to their homes across the Legal/Illegal. border at least once a week. The number of unre- Despite the fact that the referendum sought to corded cross-border commuters with more than one set a limit on cross-border commuters as well, their place of residence is, in all probability, rather siz- numbers continue to rise. As various economic stud- able, adds Duchêne-Lacroix.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 33 My Workspace

In the swimming tunnel. 4

In recent years, native fi sh stocks in the High Rhine and other Swiss rivers have become increasingly endangered by the dispersal of invasive fi sh species such as the Ponto-Caspian round goby. Researchers are conducting experiments in a swimming tunnel with the goal of developing a barrier that will stop the round goby, while allowing the passage of native fi sh species.

Photo: Basile Bornand

Vanessa Kunz 1 The round goby is a rather weak is a postdoc in the swimmer that lives at the bottom Department of of rivers. Researchers can use the Environmental Sci- swimming tunnel to examine ences. She re- how gobies react to different water searches the propa- fl ow velocities. gation of invasive 2 Obstacles of various forms create fi sh species in river vortices that infl uence the beha- networks and the vior of the fi sh. role of man-made 3 A fl ow meter measures the fl ow structures. velocity at different depths. 4 Further sensors record the water temperature and salinity. 5 The researchers visually observe Joschka Wiegleb the behavior of the fi sh. In addi- is a doctoral stu- tion, two cameras above and along- dent in the Depart- side the swimming tunnel record ment of Environ- the swimming behavior of the mental Sciences. He gobies and how they are affected develops 3D by the obstacles. models that can be used to measure the physical forces to which fi sh are subjected in currents.

34 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 My Workspace

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 35 Debate What does the future of money look like?

The money economy is currently undergoing a period of rapid change, thanks to digitization. Cash as we know it will disappear. But what consequences is that going to have?

e can already say for certain that money in the future tralized payment systems have numerous disadvantages. will be virtual money. What that means for people is Large amounts of data are collected about users, and a user Wthat physical money – cash – will disappear. In fu- can be locked out at any time. Users’ accounts can also be ac- ture, all payments will be made using mobile phones, smart cessed at any time – an all-too-frequent occurrence in coun- watches or other gadgets. Actually, this is tries with dubious legal systems. a pity, as cash has many desirable quali- Bitcoin is the ﬁ rst functioning virtual ties that cannot be replicated by virtual currency where ownership rights to the money. Cash is represented by a physical diff erent monetary units are administered object, usually a coin or bill. The owner on a decentralized basis. There is no cen- of a cash unit is automatically the owner tral authority, no boss, no management of the value unit to which it relates. This even – and yet it works. The payment sys- means that ownership rights to the cash tem uses a form of decentralized record- units that circulate freely in the economy keeping called bitcoin blockchain. It are always clearly established, without would take too long to describe this the need for recordkeeping. What is mechanism in detail, but it should be more, the persons involved can remain clear that administering digital property anonymous and do not require a permit on a decentralized basis represents a radi- to use cash. cal new departure. It has many potential Virtual money, by contrast, has no applications even now, and there is no physical representation. It exists only as telling how it may be put to use in future. an accounting entry. When a payment is Aleksander Berentsen How are new bitcoins created? They made, the accounts are adjusted by de- is Professor of Economic Theory are produced by a process known as ducting the amount paid from the pur- at the University of Basel. His research “mining”, by analogy with digging for interests include monetary theory, chaser and crediting it to the seller. For monetary policy, macroeconomics and gold. In the same way as the Big Bang cre- a virtual currency to function, it must be ﬁ nance. This contribution was ated gold from nothing, so to speak, bit- clear at all times how many monetary written in collaboration with Dr Fabian coins are produced from nothing. To make units there are and how new units are Schär, with whom he has also pub- sure that too many bitcoins are not cre- created. In addition, there needs to be a lished “Bitcoin, Blockchain und Krypto- ated, the developers have built in a re- assets: Eine umfassende Einführung” consensus mechanism to ensure that (Bitcoin, blockchain and crypto-assets: quirement for “miners” to solve complex participants are in agreement at all A comprehensive introduction), 2017. mathematical problems. The system is also times about the ownership of the virtual calibrated in such a way that currently 12.5 monetary units. A consensus about these rights of ownership new monetary units are produced, on average, every ten minutes. can be achieved using two kinds of technology; essentially, Some people may be disturbed to learn that bitcoins are created one centralized and the other decentralized. In a traditional from nothing, but I would merely point out that the same is true electronic payments system, a central authority – normally a of today’s Swiss franc. The Swiss National Bank, too, creates new bank – keeps accounts for buyers and sellers. However, cen- money from nothing – and that has served us well so far.

36 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Debate

hey say that it’s hard to make predictions, especially ket access is to be overcome by people agreeing to provide every- when it comes to the future. However, three trends seem day goods and basic services, generally, in return for a means of Tto me to be indisputable. First, cash will disappear, to be exchange accepted only in a particular locality or region. replaced by payment using apps installed on our smartphones. First, we are seeing not just an expansion in the currency One of the driving forces behind this change is our desire for supply, but the development of separate sectoral currencies for convenience, which leads us to transfer even very undemanding specifi c jobs. This is because local or complementary currencies tasks like handling cash on to our mo- function only as means of exchange, not biles. Another is the economic interest of as units of value or assets. Alternatives the IT and fi nancial sectors in making have long been available to perform this payment itself into a business, control- monetary function, too. Bitcoin is just ling how it is conducted, levying charges one of them. Secondly, complementary on it, and marketing the data that have currencies are an expression of the reper- been captured from it. sonalization of economic life, if not of It is possible to see the disappearance money itself. They are symptomatic of an of cash as just another change in the form attempt to embed all too anonymous that money takes. There have been many market processes in the familiar setting such changes historically, such as the of everyday life. shift from coins to bills. However, it is The third trend is that our monetary tied up with the loss of anonymity of system itself is coming under fi re. On the those involved, which is an essential fea- one hand, a coalition of libertarians, hack- ture of trading in civil society. A person ers and start-ups have taken it upon them- who uses cash leaves no traces. When selves to undermine the state monopoly someone makes a payment electronically, on currency by inventing and disseminat- on the other hand, they do so in their Axel Paul ing cryptocurrencies. We are promised a own name. Many people will not fi nd that is Professor of General Sociology kind of money that is free not just from worrying. Still, when cash disappears, it in the sociology department at the Uni- state oversight, but from political at- versity of Basel. He studied history, will take with it the freedom of the indi- philosophy and journalism, along with tempts to manipulate it. On the other vidual to be just a buyer, and ultimately, sociology, at Göttingen and Freiburg hand, there are complaints that our cur- their right to be treated equally as a par- im Breisgau. His research focuses on the rency system has long been open to pri- ticipant in the market. history, culture and theory of dominion vate abuse. In fact, it is the private com- A second trend is the growth of com- and power, and of economics and money. mercial banks, not the central banks, that He is the author of “Theorie des plementary currencies. These are not to- Geldes” (The Theory of Money), 2017. decide how much money is created and, tally new; in some respects, they have a consequently, how wealth is distributed. long history. These alternative currencies In the eurozone, money has become are complementary because the aim of their creators and users is a political bone of contention partly due to the policies of the to plug the gaps in a currency system that they see as defective, European Central Bank, which has managed to rescue the euro, due to its dependence on transregional markets and use of exces- but only by exceeding its mandate – which it continues to do. As sively high interest rates (or even interest per se). The fl aw in the a result, troubled times lie ahead for monetary policy. We will system whereby conventional money operates as a barrier to mar- have to learn to think in more than one currency.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 37 Album

For more than 100 years, copper has been used as an effective antifungal treatment on grape vines, apples and potatoes. While copper effectively stops fungal spores from germinating, it is toxic at higher concentrations and accumulates in soil and groundwater. This is why alternatives to copper are needed. Orga- nic farming, in particular, has to move away from using copper if it is to remain credible. In the search for much-needed alternatives, researchers at the Depart- ment of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Basel have joined forces with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Frick, testing various plant-derived substances that could replace the harmful heavy metal in the treatment of downy mildew on vines, apple scab, and powdery mildew on potatoes. More than 2,500 different plant extracts were tested for effi cacy in preven- ting fungal growth. Their active constituents were characterized using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, and selected plant extracts applied to seedlings under controlled lab conditions, and later tested in the fi eld. The researchers are optimistic: A number of the extracts proved effective and the respective active constituents were successfully identifi ed. Two extracts yielded particularly pro- mising results in fi eld tests.

38 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Album

Photos: Christian Flierl Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher Plant extracts against fungi.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 39 Album

40 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Album

Collection In a forest in Central America, long sticks are used to collect leaves from a deciduous tree (left).

Storage Extracts are taken from the plants collected world wide. A library containing more than 3,000 plant extracts is stored at a temperature of minus 80°C in the basement of the Department of Pharma- ceutical Sciences at the Uni- versity of Basel. Lab assistant Orlando Fertig removes a box from the library (right).

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 41 Album

42 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Album

Investigation The active constituents are investigated at the Department of Pharmaceu- tical Sciences using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. Doc- toral researchers Ming Yuan Heng and Justine Ramseyer study the molecular structure by nuclear magne- tic resonance (NMR).

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 43 Album

44 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Album Testing The effect of the extracts and their active constituents are tested on seedlings (left).

Examination Dr. Barbara Thürig of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Frick examines the seedlings in the greenhouse (right).

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 45 Album

Quality control Dr. Olivier Potterat and lab assistant Orlando Fertig car- rying out quality control checks on the plant product. The leaves are then extrac- ted in large quantities for further testing in ﬁ eld conditions.

46 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Album

Matthias Hamburger is Professor of Pharmaceutical Bio- logy and head of Pharmaceutical Bio- logy at the Depart- ment of Pharma- ceutical Sciences. One of his main research focuses is the use of plant- derived natural products in the treatment of human and plant diseases.

Olivier Potterat is senior research associate and lecturer at the Department of Pharma ceutical Sciences. He is in charge of the cooperation project together with Matthias Hamburger.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 47 Research

Theory of power instead of porn.

Text: Urs Hafner

Jacob Burckhardt is going virtual. Two hundred years after his birth, the ideas of Basel’s great cultural historian are being brought to life by a 3D installation at the Basel Historical Museum.

his space achieves both: It seems to Lucas Burkart (no relation), Professor of tures, and sciences” – in fact, “society in go on forever, yet at the same time History at the University of Basel. It was the broadest sense”. T it feels enclosed. It appears endless this desk that provided Burkart and Mischa Burckhardt understood the mentality because of its towering height, its nooks Schaub, head of the draft design research of an era as a kind of underlying structure. and crannies, its plateaus and staircases. company Virtual Valley, with the inspira- For a long time, this made him an isolated What makes it feel enclosed is the ab- tion for their 3D installation “Desktop”. fi gure in historiography. His colleagues sence of natural light. An eerie twilight Together, with their “intervention” to were mainly interested in princes and poli- prevails here, dimly illuminated by the mark the bicentenary of Burckhardt’s ticians, in important individuals and “real- material itself. birth, they have achieved a real break- ity” – as is the case once again today. The visitor sets out uncertainly across through in virtual technology. Yet Burckhardt was not just original; this vast expanse. In front of him, a set of he was also reactionary and elitist. Devel- giant compartments rises up toward the A conservative nonconformist opments like industrialization, mechani- roof; from the right, a giant photograph of “Desktop” transposes Burckhardt to a zation, democratization and universal a classical sculpture fl oats toward him, and surreal space where he can be encoun- education horrifi ed him. He had little he tries to grab it with his virtual hand. tered through his ideas, his pictures and time for the new, liberal Switzerland. For Arriving at the Roche Tower, the new sym- his surroundings, interwoven with the Burckhardt, the only remaining bastion bol of Basel, he enters – and is confronted present. The installation erases the con- of human values in his time was high art. by a baroque-style interior. Is there an evil ventional distinction between present At the university and among his small monk lurking behind the buttress? Could and past, the real and the virtual, with- circle of drinking companions, he created it even be Jacob Burckhardt, the great Basel out succumbing to the temptation to his very own sanctuary from the demands historian, who was born 200 years ago? resurrect this conservative nonconform- of modernity. In his letters, he expressed This space, this disturbing dream- ist in digital form. racist and anti-Semitic views, like some of scape that feels like something straight Jacob Burckhardt was born in Basel in his fellow citizens – a subject explored in out of a surrealist painting, does not re- 1818; he died in the same city in 1897. This part of the 3D installation. ally exist. It is virtual. When the visitor, cultural historian, whose image adorns confused, takes off his bulky 3D glasses the Swiss 1,000 franc note, is being cele- Burckhardt – a media pioneer and has a look round, he fi nds himself brated because his work, which deals And this Burckhardt, of all people, is now back in the real world of the Basel His- primarily with the Italian Renaissance being launched into the new, virtual world torical Museum. He is sitting at a desk and Greek antiquity, has stood the test of of unlimited possibilities, a world nor- surmounted by an imposing set of com- time astonishingly well. His “Refl ections mally populated by fi rst-person shooters partments – a reconstruction of Jacob on History” has long been a classic of his- and dominated by violence and porn? Has Burckhardt’s offi ce furniture, which is torical theory. Burckhardt’s methodology Burckhardt been banished to his own per- kept nearby. It was in these compart- is now seen as groundbreaking, as he sonal hell? Lucas Burkart and Mischa ments that the historian fi led his corre- relativized the primacy of the state and Schaub reject this suggestion, citing spondence and notes, along with, per- religion, establishing culture alongside Burckhardt’s role as a media pioneer. haps, his pictures and photographs. them as a third world-historical “power”. While his contemporaries worked exclu- “The desk’s function was to organize For Burckhardt, culture was “all social sively with written sources, they point out, knowledge and to imagine history,” says intercourse, all technologies, arts, litera- Burckhardt made innovative use of the

48 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Research

emerging medium of photography, amass- ing a huge collection of 10,000 items. According to Lucas Burkart, the Basel historian broke down the barrier between today and yesterday. “He knew that history is created by the present and provides the basis for how we approach the future.” The blurring of temporal boundaries that Burckhardt envisaged is now happening in the virtual realm. Mischa Schaub points to the trium- phal march of “mixed realities”: “We cannot escape the digital revolution, regardless of whether we think it is good or bad. It is happening, here and now.” The two creators of the Burckhardt installation agree that soon the computer screen will be replaced by a lens that we will all wear in front of our eyes. The key issue now is to defend the content we view from technology. In other words, Burckhardt instead of bazookas? “Desktop” is an ambitious project. It provides us with an opportunity, if we are able and willing to take it, to rediscover in Virtual reality at the museum “Desktop” will be on show at the Basel Historical the virtual realm Burckhardt’s thought – Museum from 4 May until the end of July 2018, and then the historian himself never appears in at the National Museum Zurich. It was put together person – as interpreted from the perspec- by a four-person team from the Basel University’s Depart- tive of media theory, and then to build on ment of History and the draft design research that by reﬂ ecting on what is meant by com pany Virtual Valley (Lucas Burkart, Mischa Schaub, Maike Christadler and Sid Iandovka). It is freely history. What is the baroque interior of accessible on the internet; anyone with a the Roche Tower – a vision, a warning, an pair of 3D glasses can use “Desktop” at home. “archaeology”? jacobburckhardt.ch/desktop-jb-digital And if we are unable or unwilling to do that, what will we ﬁ nd in this surreal landscape? Perhaps the dream we had last night. That is worth something in itself.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 49 Research

More than ﬁ ve ﬁ ngers is not possible – or is it?

Text: Yvonne Vahlensieck

Today’s vertebrates normally have no more than fi ve fi ngers or toes on each limb. Biologists in Basel now want to fi nd out why.

50 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Research

aws, feet, hooves, wings – evolu- planted tiny beads soaked in retinoic acid fi ngers, it raises the question of why na- tionary biologists see all these body in the wing bud of an embryo that was ture has ignored this option up till now. Pparts as variations on the same ba- just a few days old. This caused the num- Perhaps the negatives of having more sic morphology, which has been opti- ber of fi nger bones to double, so that the than fi ve fi ngers and toes outweigh the mally adapted to suit an animal’s way of chick’s wings grew with six fi ngers, rather positives. People with polydactyly in fact life. Some of the original fi ve fi ngers or than three. usually have their supernumerary body toes are often lost during this process of By staining diff erent kinds of tissue, parts removed for cosmetic reasons. adaptation. Thus, there are three fi ngers the researchers were then able to exam- in a bird’s wing, an even-toed ungulate ine whether the additional fi ngers were like a deer has two toes, and a horse runs establishing connections to muscles and on hooves perched at the tip of its single nerves as they developed. Their analysis toe. Yet in spite of this diversity, it is sur- showed that the neuromuscular system is prising to fi nd that there are no verte- very fl exible. Both the nerve fi bers and brates around today with more than fi ve the muscle cell precursors recognized the toes on each foot. According to Professor extra fi ngers, formed new branches, and Patrick Tschopp, a developmental biolo- grew on to the fi ngers. A series of tests gist at Basel University’s section for inte- carried out by Tschopp in collaboration grative biology, “there seems to be a natu- with colleagues at the Department of Bio- ral limit here.” medicine yielded similar results. In a Polydactyly in humans Again and again, however, there are strain of mice with a mutation that caused There have always been people with extra fi ngers or toes. In prehistoric settlements cases of individual animals developing them to develop more than fi ve fi ngers, of the Pueblo Indians, American anthropo- supernumerary fi ngers or toes as a result muscles and nerves also formed on the logists have found handprints and skele- of mutations. This kind of hereditary extra fi ngers. tons with six fi ngers, as well as the remains polydactyly also occurs in humans (see of sandals with room for six toes. Poly- box). In his research project, Tschopp is Connections in the spinal cord dactyly is not a rare phenomenon today, either. “It is the most common congenital now investigating the embryonic develop- The development of muscles and nerves limb anomaly in humans,” Dr. Isabel ment of these supernumerary fi ngers. He does not in itself mean that the extra fi n- Filges, Medical Director of Medical Genet- is mainly interested in whether they are gers are fully functional, however. “It is also ics at University Hospital Basel, explains. fully functional – that is to say, whether important for the brain to be able to control The incidence of polydactyly is highest in they also develop the nerves and muscles the movement of the extra fi ngers indepen- Africa. In Switzerland, Filges estimates that the prevalence is between around one needed for controlled movement. “We dently of the original fi ngers,” Tschopp in 1,000 and one in 2,000, but no precise want to fi nd out whether the neuromus- says. In the next set of experiments, there- record of the condition is kept. cular system can adapt to the presence of fore, the researchers want to fi nd out how The supernumerary fi ngers or toes can a higher number of fi ngers. If not, that the nerve fi bers on the fi ngers are attached also take a wide variety of forms. “Some- could explain why there is an upper limit to the central nervous system. times they are just small soft tissue append- ages, but there are also patients with of fi ve fi ngers.” This will involve researchers using a fully formed fi ngers,” Filges observes. Poly - special staining technique to track the dac tyly is usually hereditary and affects Chickens and mice as experimental course of individual nerve fi bers from the more men than women. Although some of models fi ngertips to the spinal cord. “There, all the genes responsible have been identi- Tschopp chose the chicken as the model nerve cells that are under the control of fi ed, the complex genetic mechanisms of limb development are still not elucidated organism for his study. In doing so, he the same brain cells and that control indi- yet, according to Filges. Generally, when was following in a long tradition of devel- vidual muscles are clustered together in polydactyly occurs as an isolated fi nding – opmental biology; more than 2,000 years pools,” Tschopp explains. “The question that is to say, when those affected are ago, Aristotle smashed hens’ eggs to fi nd is, do the nerves from the extra fi ngers other wise healthy – no genetic testing is out how they produce chicks. Modern-day join an existing pool or form a new one?” carried out in clinical practice. However, sometimes malformation of the fi ngers is methods are a good deal more sophisti- If it is the latter, that is a strong indication part of a syndrome and is associated cated. The researchers carefully cut a that they are controlled independently with other developmental problems. For small window into the eggshell, through and that at this level, too, there is no these patients, staff at University Hospital which they are able to observe the chick’s natural limit restricting the number of Basel’s medical genetics department can development step by step. It is even pos- fi ngers to fi ve. carry out chromosomal testing or specifi c gene analysis, if indicated. Medical doc- sible to perform minor surgical proce- The fi nal results of these tests are still tors can then advise the families concern- dures without harming the embryo. For pending. However, if the neuromuscular ing the implications for their child and the their experiments, the Basel team im- system really can support more than fi ve possible risk of recurrence.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 51 Research

Living in the human body.

Text: Katrin Bühler

Trillions of bacteria, fungi and viruses live in our bodies. Most of them go unnoticed but inﬂ uence us throughout our lives. When this community – known as the microbiome – becomes out of balance, illness can ensue.

uman beings are largely dependent on micro- times as many genes as we carry in our genetic make- scopic residents within their body. Our skin, up. This expands our toolbox of enzymes enormously. Hmucous membranes, teeth and intestines are The more enzymes we have, the more effi ciently we teeming with bacteria, viruses and fungi. Our bodies can use our food. Overall, intestinal bacteria perform host around 100 billion microorganisms in total, more metabolic reactions than the human liver. Jenal compared with around 30 billion human cells. Thus, comments: “Around 30 percent of the metabolic we may ask ourselves who we are and, if so, how products in our blood seem to stem from our little Urs Jenal is Professor of many? We all carry around about two kilos of bacte- companions.” Molecular Micro- ria, most of which can be found in the intestines: Just Numerous studies show that our microbiome has biology at the one gram of feces contains more bacteria than there a large infl uence on our health and wellbeing, for Uni versity of Basel’s are people on earth – around one trillion. example by training our immune system in early life. Biozentrum. His These bodily residents go practically unnoticed With its help, our immune system learns to recog- research focuses on the development in our day-to-day lives. They live in peaceful symbio- nize things that are harmless and not to fi ght the of microbial commu- sis in and on our bodies, helping us to digest food, developing microbiota as if they were foreign bodies. nities called bio- producing vitamins, and forming a protective shield If specifi c microbes are lacking during a certain stage fi lms and their role against pathogens. “In the last few decades, we have of development or if the microbiome changes, the in chronic in- learned that intensive communication takes place immune system can quickly overreact. This can fections. between microbes and our bodies,” says Urs Jenal, cause allergies and asthma as well as autoimmune Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Basel Univer- diseases. More recent studies even point to a link sity’s Biozentrum. “A very close relationship has de- between the intestinal fl ora and mental illnesses veloped throughout human history that benefi ts us such as depression. in various ways.” Modern lifestyles are not exactly conducive to a healthy microbiome. “By consuming unhealthy Using food more effi ciently foods, we disrupt the fi ne balance in our intestinal For example, we need the intestinal fl ora to break fl ora,” says Jenal. “In the case of obese people, for down plant material, something our bodies cannot example, the intestinal fl ora changes in composition do. Our microbiome provides us with around 300 and becomes signifi cantly less diverse. If you transfer

52 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Research

the microbiome of an obese mouse to a mouse of normal weight, it will also become fat unless its diet is changed.”

Loss of diversity Around 1,000 to 1,400 diff erent types of bacteria live in our digestive system, some of which are pathogenic. The overall bacterial population keeps these in check by successfully fi ghting them for resources. However, loss of diversity weakens the protective shield against pathogens, which can then gain the upper hand and overrun the healthy intestinal fl ora. These shifts, known as dysbiosis, can lead to diar- rhea, stomach pains, and chronic infl ammation of the intestines. Sometimes problems are caused by members of the normal intestinal bacteria such as Clostridium dif- ficile. “If antibiotic treatment changes the composition of the microbiome, it creates particularly favor- able conditions for these bacteria to multiply and fulfi ll their pathogenic potential,” explains Jenal. “This largely aff ects hospitalized patients. Sometimes fecal transplantation is the only solution. Apparently, some Swiss hospitals are already using this therapy with success.” It has been clear for some time that bacterial diversity in the intestine is decreasing. It is possible that we are in the process of shifting the balance by reducing the microbiome diversity that humans have Generally a harmonious symbiosis: gut bacteria acquired over half a million years. This theory is re- E.coli under the scanning electron microscope. inforced by the fact that indigenous peoples such as the Yanomami of South America have a much higher diversity than people with a “modern” lifestyle. “Many people believe that diversity is declining because people today are growing up in overly sterile environments. We no longer have suffi cient contact with dirt and are therefore failing to gather enough important microorganisms. Excessive hygiene may thus be part of the problem.” sity and thus the child’s long-term health.” In twin Individual intestinal fl ora differs studies, researchers have also established that a per- The theory of the “disappearing microbiome” sug- son’s genetic make-up plays a certain role in the gests that our modern lifestyle – and not least medi- composition of his or her microbiome. Every person cal advances – contribute to the decline in diversity. has their own specifi c intestinal fl ora, a cocktail as More and more babies are being delivered by Caesar- individual as a fi ngerprint. ean section and fewer mothers are breastfeeding. It really is not so diffi cult to do something good This impairs a mother’s ability to pass on the micro- for your intestinal bacteria. As in so many cases, it’s biome to her child, a process that appears to be very all about healthy living. Exercise and a balanced diet important. “The risk of contracting asthma later in with plenty of vegetables and vegetable fi bers will life seems to depend, among other things, on which help good bacteria to fl ourish and diversity to in- types of bacteria colonize the intestine in the fi rst crease. And it’s never too late to change your eating twelve months of life,” says Jenal. “Taking antibiotics habits. After all, the right conditions make commu- in the fi rst year of life can also impair bacterial diver- nity life much more pleasant.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 53 Research

“Probing ” cells for more effi cient cancer diagnostics.

Text: Samuel Schlaeﬂ i

The stiffness of tumor cells gives an indication of how a patient’s cancer will develop. A start-up company called ARTIDIS takes advantage of this fact by using an atomic force microscope to probe tissue collected from breast cancer patients. A clinical study involving more than 500 patients is being conducted at University Hospital Basel.

reast cancer is the most common Atomic force microscopy for biology tumors are relatively stiff , which trans- form of cancer in women. A new In a small laboratory at the Biozentrum, lates into a steep curve with a character- Bcase is diagnosed every two min- Plodinec provides an insight into the po- istic single peak. By contrast, malignant utes, and more than half a million women tential future of cancer diagnostics: At the tumor tissue is heterogeneous and less worldwide die from breast cancer every core of the technology is a hinged white stiff ; the resulting curve is noticeably year. If cancer is suspected, a patient will case the size of a moving box – an atomic shallower. usually undergo a breast biopsy. Histo- force microscope. This instrument makes Today, we know that the softer cancer logical analysis is, however, labor-inten- it possible to analyze the surface texture cells are, the easier it is for them to spread sive and time-consuming. The tissue of materials at the nanometer scale. Such through other tissue, form metastases, samples must fi rst be sliced into millime- microscopes are commonly found in and attack the body. “That’s why the stiff - ter-thin sections and then stained before chemical or physical laboratories, whereas ness of breast tissue is an indicator of how being qualitatively assessed under a mi- they are more than unusual in a biology likely a cancer is to metastasize,” Plodinec croscope. Up to fi ve specialists are in- context. Next to the machine, a researcher explains. She adds that this is crucial be- volved and results can take two weeks. prepares a 2 mm by 1 cm specimen for cause more than 90 percent of cancer-re- “This period of uncertainty is very analysis: a tissue sample freshly collected lated deaths are caused not by primary stressful for patients,” says Marija Plodinec, at the University Hospital from a patient tumors, but by metastases. “However, who until recently was a research associ- with suspected breast lesion. only a small proportion of cancer cells ate in Professor Roderick Lim’s group at As soon as the researcher initiates the actually form metastases, so we want to the University of Basel’s Biozentrum Cen- examination, a so-called cantilever, a tiny identify them.” ter for Molecular Life Sciences. “Which is arm which is housed inside the case with why we wanted to get results to patients a metal tip just 20 nanometers across, Exploiting the clinical potential faster.” After years of research to this end, starts to mechanically probe the breast In 2012, Marija Plodinec and colleagues the group around Lim devised a method tissue. The tip has a constant force of 1.8 fi rst presented their breast cancer diag- for nanomechanical analysis of cellular nanonewtons acting on it. A laser beam nostics platform in the specialist journal tissue. “This allows us to largely automate measures how much the cantilever bends Nature Nanotechnology. The innovation tumor analysis and to determine in as as it passes over the sample. After 10,000 consists of an adapted atomic force micro- little as three hours whether a tumor is measurements along a predefi ned raster scope (AFM), a specifi cally designed analy- benign or malignant,” she says. The scan pattern, the results are displayed on sis methodology, and data analysis soft- method is being trialed at University Hos- four screens beside the analysis device, ware. She immediately recognized the pital Basel and may soon fi nd its way into taking the form of various colored lines clinical potential of the system. “AFM hospitals all over the world. on a histogram. Normal tissue and benign technology is actually quite complex and

54 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Research demands specialist expertise. Also, scans the ARTIDIS atomic force microscope. used not only to diagnose cancer, but also would sometimes take over nine hours, The two sets of results are then compared. to monitor its treatment. Marija Plodinec which wouldn’t have been practicable for No additional biopsy material is needed, is convinced that meaningful quantitative hospitals.” Much has happened since because nanomechanical probing leaves analysis can signifi cantly optimize and then. Today, Marija Plodinec is CEO of tissue intact. Plodinec regards the close improve the success rates of treatment, as ARTIDIS, a University of Basel spin-off collaboration with the University Hospi- well as help cut oncology costs. “It’s still which is currently developing the tech- tal and Dr. Burian, a principal investigator common for patients to be either over- nology to make it market-ready. The com- on the clinical study, as a boon: “We had treated or undertreated,” she says. “Che- pany already has ten employees, who the great advantage of being able to carry motherapy is being used needlessly, caus- work in a laboratory and three offi ces out experiments in a real-life setting at a ing catastrophic side eff ects in patients; housed in the technology park at the very early stage. The feedback we received or it is initiated too late, with equally di- Stücki site. ARTIDIS has maintained its from doctors was invaluable in improving sastrous consequences.” close collaboration with the University of the technology.” Whether mechanical probing of can- Basel’s Biozentrum. cer cells will become common practice in Clinical implementation of the fi rst Breast cancer diagnostics is only the hospitals depends on many factors: prototype is already taking place: Hospi- beginning Whether the statutory health insurance tals in the USA, Germany, Britain, Croatia In the long run, ARTIDIS aims to estab- organizations approve and agree to fund and Switzerland are testing the diagnos- lish new uses for nanomechanical analy- the method, as well as on the acceptance tics platform for research purposes. In sis also in areas other than breast cancer by clinicians. The launch of the next gen- parallel, a clinical trial involving 508 pa- diagnostics. Most recently, in collabora- eration of ARTIDIS devices for the bio- tients is currently underway at University tion with Roche, the atomic force micro- medical research market is planned for Hospital Basel and scheduled to conclude scope was employed in a study unravel- spring 2019. At the same time, multina- at the end of 2018. “It’s actually a world ling the new mechanism in age-related tional trials will be launched in Europe fi rst,” says a visibly proud Plodinec. As macular degeneration, the leading cause and the US that will hopefully bring this part of the study, the same biopsy samples of visual impairment in old age. In addi- exciting technology to everyday clinical are analyzed both histologically and using tion, the technology will eventually be practice.

As a researcher, Dr. Marija Plodinec has developed an analytical method for cancer diagnostics. As an entrepreneur, she now wants to bring the tool to market.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 55 Research

Biology Fungus- ridden ants.

Ants of various species who live in meadows on the Swiss-German border near Riehen and Basel are fall- ing victim to a mysterious fungus. As researchers of the Section of Conservation Biology at the University of Basel report, the fungus Myrmicinosporidium du- rum fi rst infects an ant’s abdomen, then spreads to other parts of its body and its head. Ultimately, the fungus kills the ant. So far, very little is known about the fungal infection. It was fi rst described in 1927 when it was observed in an ant species near Würz- burg; later, evidence of the fungus was also found in other countries, mostly in the Mediterranean region. Media Studies In the Basel area, the disease aff ects several ant spe- Ferdinand Hodler on cies, some of them coexisting on the same meadow. the silver screen. Worst aff ected is the Yellow Thief Ant Solenopsis fu- gax, which not only feeds on small soil life and dis- poses of cadavers, but also invades other ant species’ Even in the fi eld of Cultural Studies, there is still scope for sur- colonies, stealing their eggs, larvae and pupae. The prising discoveries: The infl uential Swiss painter Ferdinand miniscule worker ants are highly aggressive and use Hodler (1853 –1918) was caught on fi lm as he visited the Swiss chemical substances as a deterrent. It is yet unknown Village at the Exposition Nationale in May 1896. This rare fi nd how the ants become infected with the fungus. One was uncovered by a Media Studies research group and the Digi- hypothesis is that infected Thief Ants might be car- tal Humanities Lab at the University of Basel. Dr. Hansmartin rying the fungus to other species on their forays into Siegrist and his research team conducted a microanalysis of the other ant colonies. The researchers are planning to oldest conserved fi lm reel of Basel from 1896 while researching conduct experiments to clarify the path of infection. the early work of the fi lm pioneer François-Henri Lavanchy- It is also important to know to which extent the fun- Clarke. Lavanchy-Clarke was the fi rst person outside of France gal disease impairs the ants’ function within the to hold a license for the Lumière brothers’ cinematograph. He ecosystem. also ran a pavilion at the State Exhibition which, as well as show- casing Sunlight products manufactured by the English ‘soap king’ William H. Lever, and coff ee produced by the Basel Mission Trading Company, also functioned as Switzerland’s fi rst temporary cinema. Lavanchy-Clarke opened the doors of this Palais des fées on the same evening as the opening of the State Exhibition of Swiss Art. Hodler had won the competition to paint 26 panels for the entrances and the facade of the Pavillon des Beaux-Arts, and was therefore one of the most celebrated artists at the State Exhibition. Lavanchy-Clarke’s fi lms were used to advertise the State Exhibition across Switzerland. Following in-depth analysis of the fi lm material and extensive visits to a specialist archive of artists, the researchers were able to identify many of Hodler’s colleagues. In addition to the more typical archival research, the team also employed methods involving the overlaying of photographs with physiometric data.

56 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Books

Totalitarian Regimes Globalization James Joyce Cinema and Cybernetics Modeling the evolution Examining Ricardian Musical structure A cultural technique of of ideocracies. trade theory. in literature. trance revealed.

Totalitarian regimes are ideo- Inspired by the 2017 conference This ground-breaking study Watching a fi lm is often a trans- cracies in pursuit of supreme and on Ricardian trade theory, this by Michelle Witen examines with formative experience. This absolute values, and willing book provides a rich and broad extraordinary insight Joyce’s book examines the ability of to sacrifi ce everything to achieve account of British political claim of having structured the cinema to unconsciously shift these aims. Based on a fasci- economist David Ricardo’s en- “Sirens” episode of Ulysses as our perceptions as a type of nating range of historical cases during concept of international a fuga per canonem. She begins cultural trance technique. In a of such regimes from the Az- trade. Since Ricardo fi rst pub- by tracing the rise of 19th- unique approach ingeniously tecs through to the so-called Isla- lished On Foreign Trade in 1817, century absolute (non-referential) combining cinema, psychology, mic State, this book applies a his central premise of compa- music, placing this alongside cybernetics and anthropolo- formal, mathematical model of rative advantage and that “not Joyce’s early works (essays, gy, Ute Holl takes the reader totalitarianism to highlight all markets are global” remains poems, Dubliners, Portrait of the from anthropological and certain commonalities. Whereas essentially unchallenged 200 Artist as a Young Man) to show experimental cinema through the ideologies themselves differ years later. Undergraduate and his shifting engagement with to 19th-century psycho-physio- widely in the nature of their graduate students, in particu- musical forms. Witen shows that logical laboratories to show aims, the author demonstrates lar, will fi nd in this book all there Joyce had the musical back- how cinema is used to both con- that totalitarian regimes all is to know about Ricardian ground and knowledge to exper- trol and free the mind. Holl develop out of circumstances trade theory, including insights t ly deploy the highly-contest- also analyzes three key areas of of crisis and depend on a from leading experts on inter- ed fugal structure in “Sirens. ” She experimental and anthropolo- charismatic leader. The author national trade theory. To under- demonstrates his purposeful gical fi lmmaking. extends his dynamic theory line the lasting relevance of structuring of “Sirens” as a Ute Holl, Professor of Media of how ideocracies evolve to Ricardo’s thinking, the fi nal sec- double fugue, as demonstrated Aesthetics at the University explain the connections be- tion addresses challenges by his drafting process, while of Basel since 2009, worked as tween totalitarian regimes, ter- facing globalization and trade also incorporating the effects of a fi lmmaker and commission- rorism and modern media. today. a fugue — the inseparability of ing editor in Hamburg, Germa- Peter Bernholz has been Pro- Rolf Weder, who co-edited this structure and effect being an ny, before completing her fessor of Economics at the book, is Professor of Interna- important consideration in ab- doctorate on cinematic percep- University of Basel since 1971. tional Trade and European Inte- solute music. The book con- tion, anthropological fi lm- Now an emeritus professor, gration at the University of cludes with an analysis of the making and cybernetics. Her re- his research focuses on econo- Basel’s Faculty of Business and “pure music” of Joyce’s fi nal search interests include the mic history, experimental eco- Economics. He has published work, Finnegans Wake. history of perception in the 19th nomics and fi nancial econom- several academic articles and Michelle Witen is a senior and 20th centuries; science and ics. This latest work applies a books on subjects including lecturer at the University of technology studies of audio- unique political economic per- international economics, Euro- Basel’s English Department. She visual media; a history of acous- spective to an historical study pean integration and Swiss is currently writing on 19th- tics and electro-acoustics; as of totalitarianism. economic policy. century periodicals and serial- well as experimental and ethno- ization processes. graphic cinema.

Ronald W. Jones, Rolf Peter Bernholz: Totalitarianism, Weder (Eds.): 200 Years of Michelle Witen: James Joyce Ute Holl: Cinema, Terrorism and Supreme Ricardian Trade Theory. and Absolute Music, Trance and Cybernetics Values. History and Theory Challenges of Globalization Bloomsbury Academic, Amsterdam University Press, Springer, Cham 2017 Springer, Cham 2017 London 2018 Amsterdam 2017 160 pages, CHF 101 268 pages, CHF 126.50 320 pages, GBP 84.99 352 Pages, USD 105

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 57 Essay

Left out and excluded.

It is painful when other people exclude you. Especially when you don’t know why.

Text: Rainer Greifeneder and Selma Rudert

t is painful to be excluded. Regardless of whether need to be actively excluded to have these feelings; the person who does so is a friend or an enemy, or we also feel pain when we are ignored by others, or Iwhether the exclusion is real or imagined, it al- even when we only think that we are being ignored. ways hurts when you are shut out, just as it always There are many reasons for social exclusion. hurts when you put your hand into a fi re. In the lit- Many people assume that it is motivated by malice; erature, it is likened to a refl ex. Although social ex- they think, for example, of bullying at school. Some Rainer Greifeneder clusion does no harm to the body, it activates the think of the perpetrators as sadistic individuals, who has been Professor same areas of the brain as physical pain. Most people take pleasure in the pain of those they have excluded. of Social Psycho- logy at the Universi- report that they have been ostracized and excluded A second kind of social exclusion has nobler motiva- ty of Basel since at some point—in the school playground, for exam- tions, from the point of view of those doing the ex- 2012. He studied ple, or at work. Some even report being left out on a cluding. Groups, institutions and societies are them- social and economic regular basis. This has negative consequences both selves exposed to dangers that threaten their sur- psychology in for those who are being excluded and for the groups vival, so they use shared norms and laws to ensure Mannheim and at the University that are excluding them. To take an extreme exam- that their members are able to co-exist harmoniously of Virginia (USA). ple, the majority of young people who carry out and eff ectively. Social exclusion is used today, as in shootings at schools do so following long periods of the past, to punish failure to observe these common marginalization. Companies, too, can be harmed if rules and thereby to ensure that the group’s survival excluded individuals are less motivated, develop is not threatened. This is the case both in large symptoms of depression or start to behave in ways groups and in the very smallest units—for example, that are damaging to business. when parents send a child to his or her room for Why do we experience social exclusion as pain- throwing food around. ful? People have a basic human need to belong. From A third very common reason for social exclusion an evolutionary perspective, groups provided protec- is to do with social roles and hierarchies. For ex- tion and allowed for the sharing of work and knowl- ample, the President’s Conference at the University edge. If you belonged to a group, you were more of Basel is restricted to members of the President’s likely to survive and prosper; left to fend for yourself, Board and the deans, while all other members of you could expect your life to be hard and – often – the university are excluded. Generally, people do short. According to scholars, this explains why peo- not fi nd this type of social exclusion hurtful, as it is ple are extremely sensitive to signs of impending justifi ed by the role of those concerned within the social exclusion. The feelings of danger and pain that organization. In the same way, the management of an individual experiences provide a warning, signal- a company does not generally fi nd it hurtful to be ing the urgent need to act. Interestingly, we do not excluded from meetings of the works council. What

58 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Essay

is interesting about role-related exclusion is that all that happened, for instance. In such cases, there the excluded individuals feel no pain, even though is a simple rule that often determines who attracts they have, in fact, been left out. This is where the their sympathy and support. If the victim and the analogy with putting your hand in a fi re breaks perpetrator are similar—for example, in appear- down. Social pain is indeed diff erent from physical ance—people will assume that exclusion is being pain because people have no direct receptors for imposed as a punishment. Yet, where there are dif- social exclusion; rather, they have to construct each Selma Rudert ferences between victim and perpetrator, there will individual situation in their heads. This construc- has a PhD in be an assumption of malicious intent. tion is infl uenced by other ideas—for example, psychology and is Anyone who excludes others deliberately should a postdoc and identifi cation with certain social roles—which pre- be aware of how much it can hurt. It is particularly research associate vents the experience of pain. in social psycho- important for those, such as parents, who do it in the A fourth reason for social exclusion is igno- logy at the Univer- belief that they are acting in the group’s best inter- rance—of a person’s existence or abilities, for in- sity of Basel. ests to realize this. Children, like adults, fi nd it pain- stance. A temp working at a company may not be ful to be sent to “their room” or ignored. It is also a invited to a barbecue because the organizers are un- good idea to be aware of the consequences of unin- aware of their existence; information exchanged in tentional exclusion and to take steps to prevent it. the corridor may not reach a colleague who is work- Organizations can make a key contribution in this ing from home; a French-speaking member of staff regard by having a transparent information policy may feel left out at lunch because her two Bernese and culture, both internally and externally. colleagues have lapsed into dialect without thinking. Although this fourth form of exclusion is generally unintentional, the ironic thing is that it is particularly hurtful; someone who is being ignored feels invisible and, therefore, that their very existence is being called into question. Against this background, studies show that an impolite rejection is preferable “ Someone who to none at all, for example, as an impolite rejection at least acknowledges your existence as a person and is being ignored feels gives you a chance to vent your anger. If you do not invisible and, receive a rejection, it signals that even this was too much eff ort in your case. therefore, that their The key factor in determining the stance of third very existence parties is which of these reasons they see as applying in a particular situation. If they believe that some- is being called into one’s exclusion is motivated by malice, observers question.” will sympathize with the excluded person and want to help them. If, on the other hand, they see exclu- Rainer Greifeneder and Selma Rudert sion as prompted by a desire to uphold social rules, observers will sympathize with those doing the excluding and withhold support from the excluded person. However, the reasons for social exclusion are seldom that clear-cut. In many everyday situations, observers do not know the reasons for social exclusion, as they may not have been present to witness

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 59 Portrait

Text: Irène Dietschi Photo: Andreas Zimmermann Research for the beneﬁ t of the patient.

ollowing her talk at the conference gether, we face all manner of diffi cult What Professor Hess fi nds particularly ap- on the impact of immunotherapies situations quite unrelated to standards pealing about oncology is that it is evi- Fon clinical cancer research, Profes- and guidelines: “For the patient, it is dence based. In fact, it was one of the fi rst sor Hess gave a quick interview during about fi nding a path that is right for branches of medicine to introduce this which, it would be fair to say, she cer- them, one that takes their individual situ- principle: “Some of the drugs we admin- tainly did not mince her words. According ation into consideration.” As well as ap- ister are so toxic that you have to be cer- to Hess, the study designs to test these plying her clinical expertise, being able to tain whether new active agents compared new active agents are very heavily geared listen attentively and take account of the with controls are really going to make a toward industry. Too little consideration individual patient is what makes her job diff erence.” The meticulous way of think- is given to the opinions of physicians and so fascinating, Professor Hess explains. ing, the exact measurements, the need to patients. Hess continues: “For us as doc- What about the idea that oncologists use studies to generate knowledge that is tors, it is becoming increasingly diffi cult could be replaced by computers making as precise as possible—all of this appealed to treat all patients according to the same diagnoses and suggesting the optimal to her nature: “Admittedly, the human standards and to make drugs universally form of therapy? Hess shakes her head organism is very complex and we can’t available. The system is often arbitrary and laughs. Until now, a computer cer- control for all conditions in one trial, and unfair.” An audible murmur rippled tainly hasn’t managed to do that. but,” says Hess, and pauses, “just because through the audience. They had certainly something is complex does not mean we not anticipated such frankness. Early ambition: pediatrics should not examine it as carefully as pos- Professor Hess had not originally planned sible. The more accurate the results, the Insurmountable problems every day to go into oncology. Now a mother of four, better we can apply these fi ndings to indi- “That’s just my way,” says Hess later with she had actually wanted to be a pediatri- vidual patients.” a laugh: “I don’t always fi nd it productive cian. She spent the fi rst two years of her to adapt to the norm.” We interviewed studies in Lausanne rather than Zürich. Lack of “fi ne-tuning” Professor Hess in the modest offi ce she She discovered only later that she would Yet it is precisely these types of applica- shares with her colleagues on the 8th have to sit oral exams in French but it all tion that can and in fact should go beyond fl oor of the Oncology Clinic at University went smoothly. She met her future hus- the evidence. This becomes crystal clear Hospital Basel. Hess is Head of Clinical band while studying medicine in Zürich when we look at new active agents such Cancer Research and her work focuses —they connected through music, both as immunotherapy: “These drugs work in primarily on gastrointestinal tract can- being cellists. Together, they then moved a completely diff erent way to chemother- cers. She emphasizes that research is a to Basel as a medical “dual-career couple”. apies—at the moment we really can’t key component of oncology: “Every day For a number of months, Hess worked predict with any confi dence who will ben- we are faced with problems that we sim- in the pediatric emergency department. efi t from them and who will not.” The ply cannot solve.” She had her eye on a residency at the pe- biggest problems are the side eff ects. Ide- Professor Hess is dressed elegantly diatric hospital, she tells us. However, she ally, the stimulated immune system will and wears a small string instrument pen- realized through her work in the emer- destroy the tumor cells but sometimes it dant around her neck. “It’s a cello,” she gency department that “in acute care, then starts to attack the healthy tissue. explains in her broad Zürich accent, “my doctors frequently have to poke needles “We still need a great deal of research in second passion after medicine.” All her into children or ‘torment’ them in other this area,” says Hess. And that’s exactly children also play instruments, not the ways. And the time spent with the chil- where today’s system falls short: “Until cello, but at least one of her daughters dren tends to be brief—I just didn’t fi nd the drugs are launched on the market, the plays the viola – and that’s close enough, that fulfi lling.” She had actually only in- pharmaceutical companies test the active says Hess with a smile. tended to try her hand at oncology but agents on cancer patients who are other- In our day-to-day clinical work in on- then the discipline drew her in com- wise healthy.” However, the possible ef- cology, says Hess folding her hands to- pletely. fects of a drug on someone with multiple

60 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Portrait

Viviane Hess Born in 1971, Viviane Hess is an honorary professor at the University of Basel, senior physician in oncology, and Head of Clinical Cancer Research at University Hospital Basel. She completed her profes- sional training at various institutions of higher education including Harvard Medical School in Boston and The Royal Marsden Hospital in London. Along- side her clinical work and research activities, she is also dedicated to supporting the development of young doctors. Pro- fessor Hess is married to Professor Chris- toph Hess, Head of Outpatient Internal Medicine at University Hospital Basel. The couple have four children: two girls and two boys, aged from 8 to 15 years.

health issues or on older patients, for instance, or the response of other subgroups—this “fi ne-tuning” is something the market pays far too little attention to. As well research collaboration with companies, Hess has her own projects. Her focus is on using non-pharmaceutical interventions to improve the eff ect of drugs. She has, for example, developed a web-based program to help cancer patients better manage stress. She currently leads a large multi-center study looking into whether patients with colorectal cancer tolerate chemotherapy better if they undergo physiotherapy at the same time. Research also enabled Hess to combine her family life and her career. “Thanks to a research professorship, I had quite a lot of freedom,” she explains “and I also shared my clinical posts with colleagues.” However, Hess still rejects the notion that she is a role model for women balancing a career with family. She is also critical of how the medical career path is structured. She claims the system is often With the apparent ease of a concert not very progressive or fl exible, and this soloist, Viviane Hess has advanced up the applies to both women and men: “At university, you have to learn by rote until you ranks to become an exceptional can’t take anymore; during your residency, oncologist. Professor of Medicine, Hess you have to dedicate yourself to clinical holds several senior positions including work until you collapse, then you need to research and publish as much as you can. Head of Clinical Cancer Research Then, once you reach the top and become at University Hospital Basel. She is not a professor, you are required, fi rst and afraid to criticize the system in which foremost, to have management and political skills.” As a result, the system causes she has pursued her career. many talented people – of both genders – to leave, says Hess. Here too she speaks with her characteristic frankness.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 61 Alumni

Alumna at work: Salome Preiswerk Innovative lawyer in the investment business.

Text: Bettina Volz-Tobler

Salome Preiswerk studied law in Basel and worked SALOME PREISWERK: To my parents’ alarm, I knew as a strategic consultant for banks after gradua- from a young age that I wanted to work for myself. tion. In 2014, she founded her own company, Admittedly, my early “business models” were rather Whitebox, with the aim of revolutionizing private crude, but it was only a matter of time. asset management using the latest IT technology UNI NOVA: You studied at the University of Basel and tailored to meet customer needs. Within just a have travelled the world. What would you say were short time, Whitebox became one of Europe’s lead- the particular advantages of your degree course? ing companies in this sector. How do you feel about Basel University today? SALOME PREISWERK: I have to admit that today, as dur- UNI NOVA: You studied law and now work in digital ing my studies, I tend to view the university from the Salome Preiswerk asset management. How did that happen? outside … I studied before the Bologna system was SALOME PREISWERK: I don’t see it as a break, but more introduced and don’t regret it – regardless of general as an evolution – and I had a few other jobs in be- doubts at the time about the reforms. My studies tween. In fact, my legal “career” ended on the last gave me the opportunity to gain important profes- day of my studies. I then moved straight into man- sional experience, pursue my passion for sport, and agement consultancy. Law students don’t all have to enjoy my life too. I’m sure that Basel University is end up as attorneys or judges; you fi nd them in dif- much more modern now. For example, I think it’s ferent areas of business. My subsequent move into good that the university pays more attention to its digital fi nancial services was really a transition, aided public image and has an alumni organization. by my consultancy experience and my basic legal grounding. UNI NOVA: You are considered a “digital pioneer” in specialist fi nancial circles. What exactly does your service entail? SALOME PREISWERK: My service off ers high-quality asset management, but in digital format. This means it’s no longer reserved for a small, elite group, but is open to anyone able to invest at least CHF 5,000. The service is committed to ambitious portfolio management, packaged in a simple and intuitive user experience, and underpinned by a fair and transparent business model – at a very reasonable price. And it shows that asset management can be fun. UNI NOVA: What was it that gave you the push to become self-employed?

62 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Alumni

Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Exclusive tour of a TV studio.

Text: Urs Jehle, President, Alumni & Alumnae DSBG

An alumni association for the Depart- Podiums, events, lectures rection, recording, and technology work ment of Sport, Exercise and Health AlumniDSBG has been off ering a range of together – and gave the visitors a chance (DSBG) was offi cially launched eight activities ever since. Together with the to have some fun with the teleprompter. years ago, making it AlumniBasel’s fi rst department management, it has devel- faculty-specifi c group. Recently, mem- oped an attractive alumni program with Sporting legends bers enjoyed a visit to the Schweizer podium discussions, visits, networking The highlight of the visit was being part Fernsehen television station. events and lectures. The alumni organiza- of the audience for a very special edition tion is always represented at graduation of “Sportpanorama” as it bid farewell to n 2010, following the amendment of ceremonies, which provide a unique op- Matthias Hüppi. Statements from top ath- the AlumniBasel statutes, the alumni portunity to build bridges between stu- letes and former colleagues celebrated the Iassociation of the Department of Sport, dents and alumni. work of the popular presenter, who has Exercise and Health (AlumniDSBG) be- At the end of 2017, the organization worked for SRF for 38 years. Finally, some came the fi rst offi cial faculty-specifi c held a very special event: Following a wel- surprise guests arrived in the studio – alumni group. From the outset, it was come reception, more than 60 alumni and sporting legends Bernhard Russi, Jörg Ab- important that the alumni board be current students from the Department of derhalden and Alain Sutter. closely connected to the department. Sport, Exercise and Health enjoyed guided The organizers could not have wished Thanks to the eff orts of general man- tours of the Schweizer Fernsehen studios for a more exclusive event – sometimes, ager Dr. Martina Dittler and the active given by a team of station employees. all that hard work needs an extra dose of support of the department management Home to programs such as “Tagesschau”, luck … In this case, the AlumniDSBG led by Professor Uwe Pühse and Profes- “10 vor 10”, “Arena”, “Club”, and “Kultur- board were amply rewarded for their ef- sor Lukas Zahner, the board was soon platz”, the TV studios proved both surpris- forts. And they can’t wait to arrange more ready to start its work. ingly simple and impressively technical. activities in the future! The tours provided insights into how di- dsbg.unibas.ch/de/departement/alumni

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 63 Alumni

Donations Basel showcase in Luxor. The spectacular objects discovered in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings by a Basel Uni- versity research team led by archaeologist Professor Susanne Bickel are now on show to the general public. At the end of 2017, an appeal for donations went out to alumni to display the highlights of the Basel excavations in an attractive case in the Luxor Museum. After just a short time, around CHF 10,000 had been collected. In 2014, AlumniBasel donated around CHF 30,000 for a new project web- site and to enable student assistants to participate in excavations.

Hiking A weekend in “Das Narr” literary magazine Davos. Successful The AlumniBasel hiking weekend has become a popular event with all generations and across all faculties. For the fourth hik- Germanists. ing weekend on July 21 and 22, 2018, members will be heading off to the Davos area – a great opportunity to establish valuable contacts in a relaxed atmosphere and get to know interesting alumni. The University of Basel would seem to be One striking feature of the magazine is its This project was launched in 2015 in a magnet for innovative humanities publishers’ willingness to experiment: collaboration with the Academic Alpine scholars with an entrepreneurial mind- Every year, stand-alone book projects are Club at the University of Basel. set: Back in 2011, years before Corinna published in elaborately designed special Virchow and Mario Kaiser launched their editions that experiment with new litera- brilliant magazine “Avenue”, a group of ture and take it to the public, for example Project Bifertenhütte Basel students set up a novel (and now a Basel travel guide with a diff erence and, Help wanted. well-established) literary magazine enti- recently, Groschenhefte (dime novels). tled “Das Narr”, or “The Fool”. The maga- The publishers also independently ar- Great progress has been made in renovat- zine is run by three Germanists: René range regular readings and collaborate ing the Academic Alpine Club’s Biferten- Frau chiger, Daniel Kissling (now an alum- with literary institutions and festivals. In hütte mountain hut above Brigels in Grau- nus) and Lukas Gloor, who is currently 2016, the magazine received the Canton bünden, a project supported by Alumni- completing his doctorate on the literature of Solothurn’s prize for literature. Innova- Basel. However, there is still plenty to do of Robert Walser. tion isn’t always about nuts and bolts or and a great many opportunities to lend a “Das Narr” has become one of Swit- even algorithms and bits – even purely hand. If you have a few days to spare, zerland’s most important literary maga- cultural products can be innovative and please contact the club directly (081 330 zines, and its reputation is growing in the successful. Just like life sciences research- 66 80). Donations are also welcome (IBAN rest of the German-speaking world. The ers, Germanists are helping to boost the CH54 0900 0000 4042 1388 8, “Akademi- past 24 issues have featured works by University of Basel’s reputation. scher Alpenclub Basel”). over 100 authors – many of them published for the ﬁ rst time. Adam Schwarz Experimental publishers and Jan Müller, both alumni of the De- (from left): Adam Schwarz, Mirko Leuenberger (graphic), René Frauchiger, partment of German, joined the editorial Lukas Gloor, David Lüthi (graphic), team two years ago. Daniel Kissling. Not shown: Jan Müller.

64 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Alumni

Letter from Johannesburg On the trail of apartheid.

Franziska Rüedi have been interested in history ever since I was a plete opposite of Basel and Oxford: chaotic, huge, is a historian and child and fi rst visited South Africa at the age of 18. and constantly changing. postdoc at the This made my choice of degree subject very easy, My work here at the University of the Witwa- University of the I Witwatersrand and in 2001, I began to study African history in Basel. tersrand is very varied. I’m constantly meeting peo- in Johannesburg. Professor Patrick Harries, who also came here from ple and encountering content that cause me to re- A grant from the South Africa, became one of my most important think my view of the world. For example, oral inter- Swiss National mentors. Like many other students, I benefi ted from views with former freedom fi ghters describing the Science Foundation his lively and fascinating lectures and seminars. So I period of resistance against the apartheid regime has enabled her to research the was delighted to get an assistant’s position in his de- provide insights into the oppression and daily vio- relationship bet- partment after completing my master’s. My work as lence that characterized the apartheid era. Although ween the content, a lecturer taught me a lot about day-to-day work at South Africa became a democratic country with a development and the university. majority-rule government back in 1994, the legacy of spread of rumors After a year, I moved to England to begin doctoral apartheid makes itself felt every day. For most of the and politically motivated violence research at Oxford University on political uprisings population, poverty and inequality remain a part of during the transi- in South Africa in the 1980s. My time in the “city of life. I continue to visit Basel on a regular basis and tion to democracy dreaming spires” was intense and extremely reward- enjoy being able to use my in-depth knowledge of in South Africa. ing. Before long, I thought nothing of evening meals Africa in uniting these very diff erent worlds. taken wearing robes in the college’s medieval dining hall – although I never really understood the Latin prayers. I regularly fl ew to South Africa to collect data on research trips lasting several months. After my doctorate, I left chilly northern Europe behind and moved to Johannesburg. This city is the com-

Historian Franziska Rüedi conducts research into the oppression and daily violence of the apartheid era.

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 65 My Book

Andrea Bieler has been Professor of Practical Theo- logy at the Universi- ty of Basel since 2017. In her research and teaching, she focuses on religious interpretations of vulnerability, collective traumatiza- tion and the practice of memory, em- pathy and conﬂ ict resolution, migration and xenophobia, and con structions of sickness, health and ageing.

Photo: Andreas Zimmermann

Andrea Bieler “ Beloved” by Toni Morrison: The Ghosts of the Past.

I spent twelve years of my life working as a theolo- While on the run, she had lost her husband and “ The novel gian in the USA. A pressing issue at the time was the other companions, giving birth to her daughter, reveals the price impact of slavery on the present day and how this Denver, with the help of a young white girl. When to be paid violent history of human rights abuse continues to tracked down by her old master, who wanted to “get for confronting shape educational institutions, social relations, eco- his property back”, she had decided to kill her chil- wounds that nomic conditions and religions. Toni Morrison’s dren to save them from a life of slavery. will never heal Beloved (1987; published in German as Menschenkind) At fi rst Paul D. manages to drive out the ghost, and remem- is a key literary text dealing with the question of and for a while peace is restored. Later, however, bering night- how the ghosts of the past still haunt the present. the two of them meet a girl who introduces herself mares.” The novel opens at 124 Bluestone Road, Cincin- as Beloved, the name that Sethe had had inscribed nati, shortly after the Civil War. Sethe, a former on her daughter’s gravestone. Beloved does not slave, is living there with her daughter Denver. Her know her own history. Together, the four of them house, once the beating heart of the neighborhood’s embark on a life dominated by power struggles, black community, is now haunted by the ghost of betrayal, and the search for closeness, in which Sethe’s fi rst-born daughter, who drives out every their obsessive eff orts to achieve understanding ul- living thing and turns Sethe’s own existence into a timately fall short: “Anything dead coming back to living death. When an old acquaintance, Paul D., life hurts.” This impressive novel reveals the price turns up to see Sethe, a fl ood of memories is un- to be paid for confronting wounds that will never leashed. Twenty years earlier, while heavily preg- heal and remembering nightmares that refuse to be nant, Sethe had run away from the plantation on dispelled – when broken-off splinters of a traumatic which she was being forced to work as a slave. history come back to life and are reassembled.

66 UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 Events

unibas.ch/aktuell A selection of events. May – June 2018

May 7 – 9 May 26, 1 – 6.30 pm May 29, 6 pm June 28, 8.30 – 5.30 pm Interdisciplinary TEDxBasel From Syphilis Clinical Research Conference on 2018 Therapy to Malaria in Resource Limited Radiophonic Cultures The theme of the 4th annual Eradication Settings – Mission Radio, which developed over the TEDxBasel conference will be Public habilitation lecture by Impossible or Role course of the 20th century into Borders & Frontiers and will PD Dr. Jörg Möhrle Model for Future feature ten speakers and perfor- a crucial form of communication, Alte Universität, Room 201, mers from the fi elds of Design, Drug Development? is currently undergoing process- Rheinsprung 9, Basel es of fundamental reorgani- Science, Sports, Technology, The Swiss TPH Summer Sympo- zation that can be summarized Leadership and more. Among sium 2018 invites clinical under the general heading this year’s regional speakers researchers and drug develop- “digitalization”. The interdisci- is Prisca Liberali, Assistant Pro- May 30, 6.15 pm ment specialists and students plinary conference Radiophonic fessor at the University of to review and discuss future Cultures investigates the history Basel. She will present on her Cultural Marxism approaches to drug development. of radio and its sounds as a groundbreaking research at Lecture by art critic and historian The symposium will cover a history of the tensions and inter- the Friedrich Miescher Institute Sven Lütticken. Lütticken teach- wide range of topics including actions among its technical, on Organoids and how these es at the Vrije Universiteit Amster- cost explosion of drug devel- aesthetic, and political dimensions self-organized stem cell systems dam and publishes regularly opment, impact of GCP-guideline and thus plumbs the depths of can potentially provide insights in journals and magazines such amendment 2016, conducting future radio’s potentials. into development and diseas- as New Left Review, Texte fur sponsor-investigator trials in es as never before. In addition to Switzerland, the Biotech approach radiophonic-cultures.ch Kunst, e-fl ux journal, Grey Room the live talks, TEDxBasel2018 and Afterall. His latest book to clinical development, the Museum Tinguely, Paul Sacher- will feature the initiative Popup is entitled Cultural Revolution: Pharma view on clinical develop- Anlage 2, Basel Talk that gives conference attend- Aesthe tic Practice after Auto- ment, alternative business models ees the opportunity to sign- nomy (2017). and partnerships etc. Regis- up to give a short 3 minute Pop- tration Deadline: June 25, 2018. up talk sharing their own ideas. University of Basel, May 22, 6.15 pm swisstph.ch The best talk will be selected Department of Art History, The Politics of the by fellow audience members to St. Alban-Graben 8, Basel Zentrum für Lehre und Forschung, University Hospital Apolitical: Jacob Burck- go onstage to be presented alongside the offi cial roster of Basel, Hebelstrasse 20, Basel hardt and Heinrich TEDxBasel speakers. Wölffl in For the fi rst time, TEDxBasel is Lecture by Evonne Levy, Profes- offering a special discounted sor of Renaissance and Baroque ticket to those aged 26 and under. Art and Architecture at the tedxbasel.com University of Toronto. Her most Musical Theater Basel, Feldberg- recent monograph, Baroque strasse 151, Basel and the Political Language of Formalism (1844 –1945): Burckhardt, Wölffl in, Gurlitt, Brinckmann, Sedlmayr, shows how political events, political thought, and the political beliefs of art history’s protagonists shaped their concepts of the Baroque. University of Basel, Department of Art History, St. Alban-Graben 8, Basel

UNI NOVA 131 / 2018 67 Seeing the world with different eyes

mkb.ch