Switzerland's National Identity and Eurovision

Nation Branding VS National Identity

            When reading these two phrases it is easy to think that they mean the same thing. However, their meanings are slightly different. Historian Anna Triandafyllidou defines national identity, in her article titles “National Identity and the Other,” as “…the whole perception by each individual of the surrounding world is based on the distinction between the ingroup, namely the nation, and the foreigners, those belonging to other communities, the others,” (Triandafyllidou, 593). Essentially, Triandafyllidou is saying that the national identity of any nation is made up of the different aspects of the majority population such as culture and language, and the different aspects of the minority population. Historian Paul Jordan quotes a definition of nation branding, in his article titled “Nation Branding: A Tool for Nationalism,” as “the phenomenon by which governments engage in self-conscious activities aimed at producing a certain image of the nation state,” (Jordan, 283). Jordan is saying that. This blog post will take the five performances that were analyzed in the previous blog post and analyze the to see how closely they resembled the national identity of Switzerland.

Summary of Blog Post One

            In my first blog post, I wrote about Switzerland’s national identity. The important aspects that made up Swiss national identity were its unique history, and political structure. In addition, the different languages that are spoken in Switzerland as well as Roman Catholic being the predominant religion also contributes to Switzerland’s national identity. Many Swiss historians consider the signing of the Federal Charter in 1291 to be the date when the people of Switzerland began to come together as a nation and celebrate this date with high importance. However there have been a growing number of historians arguing that the date the charter was signed was not the date that is celebrated. Instead, those historians are arguing that the date is unknown and Swiss nationals refuse to accept this claim because this date is very important to their identity as a nation. When it comes to their political structure, it is unique because the executive branch consists of seven members who are elected from the four major parties in Switzerland. This is important to Switzerland’s national identity as it acts as an “other,” which sets Switzerland apart from other democratic nations. Switching over to the topic of national language, Switzerland has four national languages which are: French, German, Italian, and Romansh. Switzerland does not have an official state religion almost 50 percent of their population are Roman Catholics. This is important to Switzerland’s national identity because even though they do not have a national religion, a majority of the population practice Catholicism so their views towards society could be influenced by their religious beliefs.

Summary of Blog Post 2

            In my second blog post, I analyzed five performances from 2011 to 2015. When looking at all of the performances, one common theme among them all is idea of love from the Swiss people’s point of view. Switzerland’s views on diversity can also be seen through the analysis of these five performances. From 2011 on, Switzerland began to host a national final where the people in Switzerland picked the performer that would represent their country at Eurovision. This process at the begin was 100 percent left to the people to decide, however each year the people have gotten less say on who they want to represent Switzerland at Eurovision. Switzerland has added jury votes to count for 50 percent of the total votes and the 50 percent would come from the people. By doing this, Switzerland has a little more control on the people they want representing their country.

Switzerland’s national selection process and Eurovision

            The process in which the performers are selected to represent Switzerland at Eurovision mirrors the national identity. Beginning in 2011, the performer that would represent Switzerland at Eurovision was picked through a national final. Unlike national finals in other countries, Switzerland had each broadcaster select finalists that would participate in the national final. The Swiss-French broadcaster selected their finalist internally, the Swiss-Italian broadcaster had a jury select their finalists, and the Swiss German broadcaster, the main broadcaster, selected several finalists that would compete in the national final (Eurovision.tv). The selection process in 2011 relates to Switzerland’s national identity because when looking at their unique political structure, the executive branch is evenly split among the four national parties and the Swiss people vote on any changes to the law. The Eurovision selection process in 2011 is similar because all three of the Swiss broadcasting stations had a chance to select a finalist to send to the national final and at the national final, the people had a say on who they wanted representing them at Eurovision. Anna Rossinelli was selected by the Swiss-German broadcaster and easily won the national final whereas finalists selected from the other two broadcasters struggled to earn votes from the people. The national final selection process in 2012 was similar. Each of the three broadcasting stations in Switzerland selected finalists that would compete in the national final. The winner of the 2012 national final, Sinplus, was selected Swiss-Italian broadcaster. This is an alignment to Swiss national identity because the four national languages in Switzerland are: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. This selection suggests that the Swiss people do not mind having a performer who may not speak German as their primary language. Looking at the 2014 national final winner, Sebalter, was selected by the Swiss-Italian broadcaster once again. The changes in the selection which began in 2011 mirrors the unique political structure Switzerland has as each broadcaster gets a chance to send a land performer to the national final, and by creating a fair even platform for people living in different parts of Switzerland to have a chance to compete and represent Switzerland at Eurovision. The Swiss-German broadcaster is the largest broadcaster in Switzerland and since German is the primary language spoken in Switzerland, many people in Switzerland tend to side with this broadcaster. By having two different national final winners be selected by the Swiss people from the much smaller Swiss-Italian broadcaster, it suggests that the Swiss people are open to supporting performers who come from smaller parts of Switzerland.  

Switzerland and Tradition

            Takasa, the band that was chosen by the people as well as a jury, represented Switzerland in Eurovision. This was a band that consisted of six members from The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a Christian Protestant church as well as a charitable organization. The Salvation Army has been accused of discriminating against the LGBTQ community in the past. For example, in the early 2000’s, The Salvation Army, attempted to make a deal with the Bush administration that would exempt them, and other religious charities who receive federal funding, from laws that discriminated against homosexuals (Bruni, Becker, New York Times). Although the Salvation Army is a protestant church, the performance aligned more closely to Switzerland’s national identity as the group represented similar Christian ideas that many Swiss people could align with. This performance highlighted the religious side of Switzerland that is very much present in Switzerland. This performance suggests that the Swiss people do not mind being branded as a more religious country compared to their western counter parts. Looking at the 2015 performance, it is about being different than the rest of the population. The singer, Mélanie René is of Mauritian decent which is a small island in the Indian Ocean. The choosing of this performance misaligns with Swiss national identity as they are not too accepting of foreigners or minorities.  According to Migration Policy Institute, Switzerland has a low naturalization rate which means that immigrants are not integrated into society (Schindall, Migration Policy Institution). By choosing this performer to represent Switzerland at Eurovision, Switzerland is being branded as a country that is very accepting of minorities who are not from the EU even though this is not necessarily true.        

Conclusion

            After researching Switzerland’s national identity and then looking at five of their recent performances, you can see that most of their performances have aligned to their national identity, but as the years have gone on, their performances have started to sway away from their national identity. This means that Switzerland is slowly starting to brand themselves as a more open and accepting nation to minorities which can be seen with the 2015 performance. Although Switzerland has not done well historically at Eurovision, these five performances show that they do take Eurovision seriously as they have gotten more selective by introducing a jury vote that would count for 50 percent of the total result. By doing this, it shows that Switzerland is making an effort to change the way their country is branded to the outside world.

 Word Count: 1462

Works Cited

Bruni, Frank, and Elizabeth Becker. “Charity Is Told It Must Abide By Antidiscrimination Laws.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 July 2001, www.nytimes.com/2001/07/11/us/charity-is-told-it-must-abide-by-antidiscrimination-laws.html?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_article. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.

Jordan, Paul. “Nation Branding: A Tool for Nationalism?” Journal of Baltic Studies, vol. 45, no. 3, 2013, pp. 283–303., doi:10.1080/01629778.2013.860609.

“The Salvation Army - About the Salvation Army.” The Salvation Army - About the Salvation Army, The Salvation Army, www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/about. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.

Schindall, Julie. “Switzerland's Non-EU Immigrants: Their Integration and Swiss Attitudes.” Migrationpolicy.org, Migration Policy Institute, 9 June 2009, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/switzerlands-non-eu-immigrants-their-integration-and-swiss-attitudes. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.

“Switzerland to Pick Their 2012 Entry in December 2011.” Eurovision.tv, Eurovision, 27 July 2011, www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=37523&_t=switzerland_to_pick_their_2012_entry_in_december_2011. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.

Triandafyllidou, Anna. “National Identity and the ‘Other.’”  Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 21, no. 4, July 1998, pp. 593–612.

Switzerland and Eurovision

Eurovision Song Contest

            For those who don’t know what the Eurovision song contest is exactly what it sounds like; a song contest between European countries who choose to participate. The song contest is broadcasted across Europe and for the first time in 2016, the Song Contest was broadcasted live in the United States and China (Eurovision.tv). Participating  countries would take part in a two day semi-final. Judges will then decide what countries are advancing to the finals and which countries are not. According to the Eurovision website, an estimated “180 million people” watch the Eurovision Song Contest every year (Eurovision.tv). The winner of Eurovision is picked by jurors who represent every country that is in the Eurovision Song Contest final and by the people in Europe who send in televotes.

Eurovision and Switzerland

            Switzerland has done okay through the years of Eurovision but they have not been as successful as other countries. Since the year 2000, Switzerland has made the Eurovision Song Contest final a total of four times, and won Eurovision two times. Their first victory was in 1956 with a performance by Lys Assia. This was the first ever Eurovision Song Contest. Switzerland’s second victory was in 1988 with a performance by Céline Dion. This blog will analyze five of Switzerland’s performances in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Switzerland’s 2011 Finals Performance

            In 2011 Switzerland advanced to the Eurovision’s final for the first time since 2006. In the Eurovision final, Swiss singer and songwriter named Anna Rossinelli and her band performed. Anna Rossinelli is part of a Swiss pop trio band who are named Anna Rossinelli. The title of the song was “In love For A While,” (2011). When looking at the lyrics, it is clear that the song is a love song. The first verse of the song describes the pulling effect the person had on the singer. In the next verse, she sings about how her relationship is more than just a romance with the lines “Romance comes and goes, but a love like ours is here to stay,” (Eurovision.tv). This further emphasizes the idea that this song is about the singer’s deep love for someone that goes beyond a small romance. This idea is seen throughout the song. Now listening to her band’s Eurovision finals performance, the song is joyful, and an upbeat song. One member of the band, Manuel Meisel is playing the guitar while the other man, Georg Dillier is playing the cello.  While Rossinelli is singing, the background is much more simple compared to other Eurovision performances. The background is filled with cartoon stars and clouds that are bright in color. This could be a metaphor for how Rossinelli is feeling at that moment as she is feeling out of this world. In a red carpet interview with the independent website Eurosong, Rossinelli and her band mate revealed that he has been in a relationship with Rossinelli for eight years so this further emphasizes the idea that the song is about someone Rossinelli loved (EurosongBe). What does this suggest about Switzerland’s views towards diversity? Switzerland choose a musical group that was from the canton Basel (www.annarossinellimusic.com). Basel is the third most populous canton behind Zurich and Geneva. Basel is also located in the middle where Germany and France border Switzerland.  This shows that the Swiss government wanted to send someone who was aware of both the French and German cultures in an effort to get votes from them. In addition, these singers are also fluent in German, and Italian, as well as English so that could also appeal to the jurors.

Switzerland’s Semi-Final Performance 2012

            In 2012, Sinplus was the duo that had the chance to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision semifinals in Azerbaijan. Sinplus is an alternative rock duo made up of brothers Ivan and Gabriel Broggini. The title of the song they sung was “Unbreakable,” (2012) and the music and lyrics were written by the group. When reading the lyrics, one can see that it was a motivational song. One can see this by reading the first verse where the brothers sing lines such as “You can do anything you want it doesn’t matter how hard it is,” (Eurovision.tv). Further on in the song, there are more lines of encouragement such as “swim against the stream following your wildest dream, your wildest dream,” (Eurovision.tv). When watching the official Eurovision semi-final performance of this song, there is a different feeling than what one might expect. The song is sung at a much faster tempo which was not expected from reading the lyrics. The background is just lines that change from red to green whenever the chorus is sung. This could be a metaphor for stopping and going as the chorus is encouraging people to pursue their wildest dreams.  Compared to Switzerland’s performance the previous year, this one has a similar upbeat and positive message. By choosing this song to represent Switzerland in the semi- finals, it shows that the Swiss government wants to push a positive message towards the rest of Europe during a time when the European Union was suffering from a massive debt crisis (Traynor, The Guardian). Switzerland is not part of the European Union but they have several trade partnerships with the EU and the debt crisis would have negatively affected them. This song can be seen as a token of encouragement towards the European Union from the outside.

Switzerland’s Semi Final Performance 2013

            The Swiss band Takasa performed for Switzerland in 2013. The band consisted six Salvation Army soldiers and their performance did not advance to the finals. What made this band special was that the age difference between the members. The oldest member, is 95 years old and the youngest member is 22 years old. The title of the song is “You and Me,” (2013). When reading the lyrics, there is evidence that the song is about family being there for someone in times of need. The song starts out by saying “When times are getting rough,” (Eurovision.tv). and continues into the next verse where the lyrics say “but there’s one thing that could never separate us,” (Eurovision.tv). When watching the performance live, there is a similar feeling. The camera at the beginning shows all six members of the band but then quickly focuses on the middle two who are two younger members. Throughout the performance, the camera focuses on the eldest member of the band and the two young members. This further implies the idea of family being there for someone especially in their hardest times. What does this performance show about Switzerland’s views toward diversity? It shows that Switzerland wants to showcase the diversity of talent they have in their country. Unlike other countries, Switzerland picked a group that had generational talent. This group did not look the best but they fit message Switzerland was trying to send about family being there for one another.

Switzerland’s Finals Performance 2014

            The title of the song is “Hunter Of Stars,” (2014) and the song is sung by Sebalter. When first reading the lyrics, there is evidence that this song is about a significant other who did not feel the same way about the singer as the singer did. In the beginning of the song, he presents himself as an outsider in the significant other’s life. This is seen in the chorus with lines such as “Want me to go, want me to go,” (euroision.tv), and “No, open the door,” (Eurovision.tv). Throughout the song, the singer portrays himself as someone from the outside looking in. When watching the live performance, it begins with a lot of sparks that fly up at the same time. In the background, there are 12 spotlights that shine at the same angle for the entire performance. In the background, there are gold lines that move rapidly and form hearts. While watching the performance, there is evidence that the singer is mocking a traditional love song in a light-hearted manner. Watching the official music video for the song portrays the song as a light-hearted love song. The music video takes place in a hotel and throughout the entire music video, Sebalter is mocking “traditional” love songs. The entire music video is more of a comedy rather than a love song. By choosing this song, it shows Switzerland’s light hearted view towards love. Singing love songs is a trope in Eurovision but this take on a love song shows Switzerland’s light hearted attitude towards love.

Switzerland’s Semi Final Performance 2015

            The title of this song is “Time to Shine,” (2015) and the singer is Mélanie René. When reading the lyrics, there is this feeling that the singer, removed something negative from her life and is now having the best time of her life. She begins the song by singing “I’ve been walking in the darkness,” (Eurovision.tv). Then, further on in the song she sings “Cause I’m living my dreams, I’ve never been so alive,” (Eurovision.tv). When watching the live performance, the René, begins the song wearing a dark black dress with a dark forest in the background giving the song an ominous feeling. Then, as soon as the chorus starts, she sheds the black part of her dress, revealing a bright white dress. In addition, the lighting brightens up. This symbolizes the change the singer made in her life which brightened up her life and made her life better. In a Eurovision interview  with the independent website Wiwibloggs, she says she was inspired to write the song after she moved to England to get a higher education leaving her friends and family behind at home (wiwibloggs). What makes René unique is that she is of Mauritian decent (melanierene.eu). Mauritians are an ethnic minority in Switzerland which shows a lot about Switzerland’s views towards diversity. By choosing a performer who is part of the minority population in Switzerland, it shows that Switzerland has a desire to highlight the talents of their minority artists.

Word Count: 1635

Works Cited

"Band." Anna Rossinelli - Band. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://www.annarossinellimusic.com/de/band.html>.

"Biography." Mélanie René. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://melanierene.eu/biography/>.

EurosongBe. "Interview Anna Rossinelli Switzerland Eurovision 2011 on the Red Carpet in Düsseldorf." YouTube. YouTube, 10 May 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjywf234B8>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Anna Rossinelli - In Love For A While - Switzerland 2011 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1533&song=26003>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Mélanie René - Time To Shine - Switzerland 2015 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=2063&song=32703>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Sebalter - Hunter Of Stars - Switzerland 2014 | Eurovision.TV. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1873&song=31503>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Sinplus - Unbreakable - Switzerland 2012 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1573&song=27073>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Takasa - You And Me - Switzerland 2013 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?song=29623>.

Sieg, K. "Cosmopolitan Empire: Central and Eastern Europeans at the Eurovision Song Contest." European Journal of Cultural Studies 16.2 (2012): 244-63. Web.

"Sinplus About Us." Sinplus About Us. Sinplus, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://www.sinplus.net/about.html>.

Traynor, Ian. "EU Leaders Set for Showdown on Fate of Euro as Crisis Deepens." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 13 May 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/may/13/eu-leaders-showdown-eurozone-crisis>.

Wiwibloggs. "Interview: Mélanie René (Switzerland) @ Eurovision 2015 | Wiwibloggs." YouTube. YouTube, 20 May 2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILbHs-Q3bro>.

Performances Cited

René, Mélanie. “Time to Shine.” Music and lyrics by Mélanie René. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2015.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya1r_nFHiCQ Accessed 13 Feb 2017.

Rossinelli, Anna. “In Love for a While.” Music and Lyrics by David Klein. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2011.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLE5FmNJow Accessed 7 Feb 2017.

Sebalter. “Hunter of Stars.” Music and lyrics by Sebastiano Paù-Lessi. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2014.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqjoM8ZlyMc Accessed 10 Feb 2017.

Sinplus. “Unbreakable.” Music and lyrics by Gabriel Broggini, Ivan Broggini. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2012.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkMSptuVqHQ Accessed 7 Feb 2017.

Takasa. “You and Me.” Music and lyrics by Georg Schlunegger, Roman Camenzind,

            Fred Herman. Switzerland Eurovision Song Contest, 2013.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH34iARVI-s Accessed 10 Feb 2017.

Switzerland's National Identity

National Identity

              What is national identity? If one were to lookup the definition of national identity in the Oxford Dictionary, they would see that the dictionary defines national identity as “a sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language,” (en.oxforddictionaries.com). Anna Triandafyllidou, a professor at the European University Institute, writes that national identity comes from the existence of other nations that are different then one’s nation. She defines this as the Other and writes “The notion of the other is inherent in the nationalist doctrine itself. For nationalists, the existence of their own nation presupposes the existence of other nations,” (Triandafyllidou, 594). Triandafyllidou is essentially saying that national identity exists because there are other nations that are different which she defines as the Other.

National Identity and Switzerland

              Now that national identity and the Other have been defined, those definitions can now be applied to Switzerland. But before the definitions are applied to Switzerland, an understanding of the history of Switzerland will be useful. Switzerland didn’t become an official nation until 1948 but the signing of the Federal Charter in 1291 was a huge step towards the formation of the confederacy. The signing of this charter was very important to the formation of Switzerland because it united three cantons together. The charter was agreement that the three cantons would come together and defend each other from the Habsburg Empire (Pauchard). This day was so important that it is now a national holiday in Switzerland. Oliver Pauchard, a Swiss journalist and Thomas Stephens, a British journalist both write in an article for Swissinfo that the signing of the Federal Charter was not as accurate as Swiss nationals think it is. Pauchard and Stephens interview author Georges Andrey, who says that there is no evidence that the Federal Charter of 1291 was signed on August 1^st, 1291. Andrey claims that there is evidence that the charter was signed in the beginning of August but not a specific date. Andrey says that the Swiss needed a national holiday so they used this charter as the pretext to create that national holiday. How does this relate to national identity? The Swiss government did not want many historians to question the validity of its national holiday because they wanted the world to believe that Switzerland was founded on August 1^st, 1291. Historian Stefan Berger writes in his article titled “On the Role of Myths and history in the Construction of National Identity in Modern Europe,” about historians who mix in myth with their history. Berger argues that some countries want parts of their history highlighted while others to be suppressed. This applies perfectly to Switzerland as they do not want the fact that their national holiday may not be on the correct date. This is just one example of Switzerland’s national identity coming from the historical perspective.

Switzerland Political Structure

              Switzerland’s unique political structure contributes to its national identity. Unlike many other western republics, Switzerland does not have one primary leader in their executive branch. Switzerland’s executive branch consists of seven members who form the Federal Council. The seven seats are split evenly among the four national parties in Switzerland. According to historian Venelin Tsachevsky, any changes that are to be made by the government must be voted on by the citizens of Switzerland and classifies Switzerland as a referendum democracy. This form of democracy relates to the national identity of Switzerland because the way Switzerland run’s their democracy is very different than the way most other western republics run theirs. Whenever Switzerland wants to make a change, they must keep in mind what the people of Switzerland would want as they have the final say on whether the change can happen or not. Historian L.P Feld gives an example about how the Swiss people had intense arguments on whether Switzerland should abolish their army or not (Feld, 288). This initiative was ultimately rejected but is a good example of how everyone in Switzerland had a say on what they wanted.  This is an example of Switzerland’s national identity is because it shows how the Swiss people have a direct say on every change the government wants to make.

Languages in Switzerland

              There are four national languages in Switzerland: French, German, Italian, and Romansh. Language is a large part of national identity as the languages spoken in any country helps define the people and who they are. Historian Oliver Zimmer writes in his article that the “legitimacy of ethnic nationhood,” rests on the contrast of a common language, religion, shared historical experiences, or genealogical descent (Zimmer, 176). The primary language that is spoken in Switzerland is German. French and Italian are spoken more near the borders of Switzerland as France and Italy both border Switzerland. Romansh is a native language that is spoken in a few remote areas in Switzerland. According to the journalist John Tagliabue, is spoken by 2.2 percent of people in Switzerland and many people who speak Romansh are also fluent in German. Tagliabue goes on to write that Romansh was regarded as “thee patois of the poor country yokel,” (Tagliabue). The people who speak Romansh, are considered a minority so they help make up the Other in Switzerland. The people who speak Romansh help create Switzerland’s national identity because they are a minority so they bring out the significance of the dominant languages.

Religion in Switzerland

              The dominant religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholic which makes up 42 percent of the population. There is a small minority of Muslims who make up 4 percent of the population. This minority is another example of the Other. Because there is a Muslim minority, they challenge the dominant religion thus creating a national identity for Switzerland. In 2009, the Swiss government proposed a plan to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland. A minaret is an Arabic lighthouse which is a place that Muslims go to pray at. In an article published by Amnesty International, Switzerland would break their freedom of religion obligations if they passed such a ban. If this ban were to pass, it would change Switzerland’s national identity because at that point, Switzerland does not have an official religion but the passing of this ban would show the world that Switzerland is predominantly Roman Catholic.

Word Count: 1,327

Works Cited

Berger, Stefan. "On the Role of Myths and History in the Construction of National Identity in Modern Europe." European History Quarterly 39.3 (2009): 490-502. Web.

Church, Clive H., and Randolph C. Head. A Concise History of Switzerland. N.p.: n.p., 2013. Print.

"Demographics of Switzerland." MECOMeter - Macro Economy Meter. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

Demont-Heinrich, Christof. "Language and National Identity in the Era of Globalization: The Case of English in Switzerland." Journal of Communication Inquiry 29.1 (2005): 66-84. Web.

Feld, Lars P., and Gebhard Kirchgässner. "Direct Democracy, Political Culture, and the Outcome of Economic Policy: A Report on the Swiss Experience." European Journal of Political Economy 16.2 (2000): 287-306. Web.

Mottier, Véronique. "Narratives of Identity and Place." (2009): n. pag. European Consortium for Political Research Annual Joint Sessions, Mar. 1999. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

Slater, Julia. "Switzerland's Fourth Language under Pressure." SWI Swissinfo.ch. Swissinfo.ch, 05 Aug. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

Stephens, Thomas. "Historians Question Federal Charter." SWI Swissinfo.ch. N.p., 02 Aug. 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

"Switzerland Minaret Ban Would Breach Freedom of Religion Obligations." Switzerland Minaret Ban Would Breach Freedom of Religion Obligations. Amnesty International, 25 Nov. 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

Tagliabue, John. "In Multilingual Switzerland, One Tongue Struggles." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

Triandafyllidou, Anna. "National Identity and the 'other'." Ethnic and Racial Studies 21.4 (1998): 593-612. Print.

Tsachevsky, Venelin. Europäisierung Des Gewaltmonopols : Swiss Model - Power of Democracy. Bern: Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften, 2014. Print.

Zimmer, Oliver. "Boundary Mechanisms and Symbolic Resources: Towards a Process-oriented Approach to National Identity*." Nations and Nationalism 9.2 (2003): 173-93. Web.