Would Switzerland Exist Without the Alps? Mountainous Environment and State Formation from a Historical Perspective

Since the emergence of scientific disciplines in the 19th century, geography and history have had an undefined relationship with each other. Conventions of subject-specific responsibility have developed, but in detail the separation is difficult, and the more the boundaries between the two disciplines are emphasised, the more tempting it sometimes is to cross them. A prominent example of this interdisciplinary tension and challenge is the relationship between geographical structures and certain forms of state formation. In scholarship, Swiss history is routinely associated with the Alps. Could one imagine this history without mountains? In the present article, I argue that it is important to analyse the relationships in all their complexity and not to be guided by general assumptions. To do this, one must consult various genres of literature. In this way, the self-evident may suddenly require explanation.