On August 30, 1965, an avalanche struck the workers’ barracks directly below the Alalin Glacier, where the Mattmark Dam was being built, burying 88 people, 56 of whom were Italian.
Editor Elisabeth Joris gives voice to the women who were involved in the dam’s construction, both as workers and as members of their families. She also highlights the differences in how this event is commemorated. While the Mattmark Dam in Italy remains a symbol of a preventable disaster, in Switzerland today it is primarily known as a popular hiking trail. According to Andreas Weissen, this trail, which connects the Saas Valley to the Italian town of Macognaga, was once used by smugglers.
Interpretations of the court rulings, which exonerated those responsible seven years after the disaster, vary considerably. Kurt Marty complements his trial findings with an analysis of files made public since 2022, which confirm his hypothesis of judicial bias. Vasco Pedrena describes the importance of the Mattmark case in the transformation of trade union immigration policy during the Schwarzenbach Initiative, when the rejection of immigrants as competitors was replaced by solidarity-based representation of their interests.
| Publisher | Rotpunkt verlag |
| Author | Elisabeth Joris |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Publication Date | 23/10/2025 |
| Pages | 207 |
| Edition | first |
| Size | 14.53 x 2.34 x 21.67 cm |
| About the Author | Elisabeth Joris, an independent historian in Zurich, has published numerous articles and books on the history of gender in the 19th and 20th centuries, including gender-specific aspects of social movements, migration, development in the Alps, political participation, and work. She is the Vice President of the Foundation for Women’s Work Research. |
| Publisher Address | info@rotpunktverlag.ch |
| ISBN | 978-3-03973-072-8، |
