David Birmingham. : A Village History. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2000. xvi + 225 pp. $19.95, paper, ISBN 978-0-8040-1065-8.

Reviewed by Riccarda Torriani

Published on H-German (March, 2006)

In Switzerland: A Village History, David Birm‐ The book is organized thematically, albeit pro‐ ingham aims to "put the history of one particular ceeding more or less chronologically from around highland community into the context of the revi‐ 1000 to the late 1990s. The first two chapters have a sionist national history [and] ... make Swiss histo‐ political focus and describe the feudal powers that ry live among readers for whom Switzerland ruled Chateau-d'Oex: the counts of Gruyere until might not be an obvious case-study for the the‐ the early fifteenth century, and the city-state of matic analysis of historical processes" (p. 202). until the late eighteenth century. The third This is certainly not only a laudable, but also a chapter is dedicated to religious matters and rather ambitious undertaking: Switzerland does traces the impact of the Reformation and subse‐ indeed present a much-understudied region in the quent religious strife on the lives of the inhabi‐ research of non-Swiss historians, in spite of the tants of Chateau-d'Oex. fact that its history may shed light on a number of The Alpine economy, in particular cheese- themes that run through European history. When making and dairy-farming, is the focus of the next Switzerland has caught the attention of historians chapter. Chateau-d'Oex forms part of the region it has often been in the context of the study of na‐ where the famous Gruyere cheese is produced, tions and national identity, as it presents us with a and Birmingham's examination of the develop‐ counter-example to almost any theory on the ment of cheese-making, its importance for the lo‐ emergence of nations.[1] cal economy, and its significance in the wider eco‐ David Birmingham has aimed to move away nomic framework of early modern Switzerland from this perspective and has used a micro-histor‐ and Europe is interesting and illuminating. Subse‐ ical approach instead, focusing on the social, polit‐ quent chapters examine trade, both locally and in ical, and economic history of one mountain com‐ an interregional framework. The author shows munity. This approach is certainly ambitious, in how a superficially isolated community like the particular when considering the notorious region‐ mountain village of Chateau-d'Oex became inte‐ al differences within Switzerland. The author has grated in interregional and international trade in chosen to study the village of Chateau-d'Oex, now the early modern era, and thus adds an important in the Canton of , in a valley connecting international aspect to his village history. This is Gruyere in the West and the skiing resort of clearly where Birmingham is strongest, and where Gstaad in the East. his book is most original. H-Net Reviews

The sixth chapter treats the period from the my and the arrival of Allied prisoners of war to the Napoleonic invasion in 1798 to the civil war in village indeed had a disruptive effect on the eco‐ 1847, covering the creation of the Swiss state and nomic and social tissue of the village. The Second the writing of its first constitution in 1848. Here, World War on the other hand reinforced and con‐ Birmingham's attempt at telling the history of served traditional modes of living and did not Switzerland through the prism of a mountain vil‐ lead to comparable degrees of social change. The lage becomes less convincing. For anybody not author concludes with some general remarks on overly familiar with the in Swiss identity in the second half of the twentieth the nineteenth century, Birmingham's target read‐ century, in particular on the issues raised about ership, the story becomes rather difficult to under‐ Switzerland's role in the Second World War. stand. As the author provides very little back‐ Overall, Birmingham's Switzerland: A Village ground information, the reasons for the events History is an interesting account of village life in that affected Chateau-d'Oex and the surrounding the over roughly ten centuries. Al‐ countryside remain at times unclear. Yet, the nine‐ though there are only very few instances where teenth century is well documented in Swiss histo‐ the book clearly challenges accepted notions of ry, and it would have been straightforward for the Swiss history, its overarching theme of the degree author to situate his own research within a broad‐ of interconnection of an isolated mountain com‐ er context. Instead, the endnotes suggest that munity and the wider national and international Birmingham relied only to a small extent on the events is illuminating. As alluded to above, this is existing historiography; he states only three texts done best in the chapters on the economy and on general Swiss history of the period, only one of trade, but less convincingly in the political chap‐ which is by a Swiss historian. ters. The nineteenth century was, in Switzerland The strength of the book lies in its original and just as elsewhere in Europe, a period of political varied source base, and the often very detailed de‐ and social upheaval, and the following two chap‐ scriptions of everyday life within the communities ters examine the impact of modernization, indus‐ that the author has managed to reconstruct. The trialization and political emancipation on harsh realities of rural life in the Alps are brought Chateau-d'Oex. The author argues that the devel‐ home through descriptions of the daily routines of opments initially had a rather limited impact on cheese-makers, subsistence farmers and lumber‐ village life in the mountain regions. It was only jacks. Its strength is, however, at the same time its when the first tourists discovered the Alps as a des‐ weakness. It often remains unclear whether the tination for recovery and travel that villages such anecdotes described were representative of life in as Chateau-d¹Oex began to modernize. The the village, or at least of the experience of a partic‐ nascent tourism industry was in fact, as Birming‐ ular social group. Furthermore, Birmingham often ham demonstrated in the chapter dedicated to refers to "the rich" or "the poor" of the village, but tourism, the driving force behind the significant at no point does the reader learn how many vil‐ improvements to Chateau-d'Oex's transport links lagers were to be considered "rich" or "poor," nei‐ and infrastructure. ther in real terms nor in comparison to their com‐ The last chapter finally describes the impact patriots in other Alpine villages. Nor are we told of the two World Wars on mountain life. The au‐ whether Chateau-d'Oex, nowadays a rather well- thor argues that the First World War had a polariz‐ to-do large Alpine village, was comparatively ing effect on village life. The hitherto unprecedent‐ wealthy or poor in relation to Alpine villages of a ed levels of state interference in the local econo‐ similar size throughout its history.

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In conclusion, has the author succeeded in his rather ambitious goal of writing a micro-history aimed not purely at specialists, but also at a more general readership? In one sense, he has. The story is interesting to read, in spite of a few inaccuracies (for instance, the "Wahlen" plan in the Second World War related to economics, and was not the name for the Alpine military defense plan). Yet, as basic facts about the political, social, and econom‐ ic background are often omitted, some prior knowledge of Swiss history is essential to under‐ stand the content. Unfortunately there is not a single footnote in the entire book, and the bibliog‐ raphy is slim and dated, leaving out many of the most recent works on Swiss history. In this sense, the specialists who would like to follow Birming‐ ham's original and meticulous research findings might find it difficult to do so. Ultimately, although Birmingham's Village History is an enjoyable read for people with some knowledge of Swiss history, its use for academic purposes may be limited. Note [1]. Oliver Zimmer, A Contested Nation: Histo‐ ry, Memory and Nationalism in Switzerland, 1761-1891 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).

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Citation: Riccarda Torriani. Review of Birmingham, David. Switzerland: A Village History. H-German, H- Net Reviews. March, 2006.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=11543

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