It is well known that emotions and their history not only play a role in the interpersonal sphere but can also be profitably analyzed in the field of international politics. Since the publication of The Emotions of Internationalism, we also know in which environmental relationship emotions can sometimes be interwoven to achieve certain political goals. Using a wide range of previously unpublished English, French, Italian, and German source material, Ilaria Scaglia's book is a captivating exploration of the role of emotions in the field of internationalism.
Against the backdrop of the Alpine panorama of the interwar period—that is, the mountains on the border between Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the former Yugoslavia—Scaglia examines the people and institutions that were interested in and committed to internationalism in the region in the 1920s and 1930s. The study focuses on feelings of fraternity, community, and friendship. One of Scaglia's arguments is that these feelings were authentically linked to the experience of the mountains and could therefore be stylized into various projections. Emotions are defined without judgment as feelings evoked in people by experiences and moods. Against this background, the Alps are described as an international meeting place in the interwar period, where various organizations, individuals, and institutions developed their visions for future international cooperation. Scaglia's second argument is that emotions have become one of the most important resources for creating a positive perception of the international community. The author bases her arguments on a wide range of sources, including speeches, protocols, correspondence, and medical writings, but also maps, photographs, films, novels, and memoirs.
The book is divided into a coherent introduction in which the most important terms and concepts are presented, five thematically organized chapters, and a concluding section. The first chapter, “Associating Emotions and Internationalism with the Alps,” deals with the diverse relationships between people and the Alpine world. It traces how feelings toward this majestic landscape have changed from initial awe and fear to romantic transformation. Alpine towns developed into cosmopolitan meeting places, but they also reflected the tensions between urban modernity and Alpine tradition. Consequently, the Alps are described as a stage on which different concepts of identity and cultural currents manifested themselves. The following chapters examine the emotional dimension of internationalism in the Alps in the interwar period. Four case studies shed light on various organizations and their use of emotions to promote international cooperation.
The chapter “Managing Emotions at the League of Nations” analyzes how the League of Nations used the emotional power of the Alpine landscape to promote internationalist discourse and feelings of friendship. The headquarters of the League of Nations in Geneva, the Palais des Nations, with its breathtaking view of Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, provided the ideal backdrop. “International Mountaineering while Talking about Emotions” sheds light on the role of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA). This international mountaineering organization has used a shared passion for the mountains to overcome national borders and strengthen international relationships. Emotions such as a thirst for adventure, camaraderie, and respect for nature played a central role in this. The chapters “Seeing emotions while Healing the Body and the World as a Whole” and “A University for Feeling the Emotions of Internationalism” are dedicated to two sanatoriums in Leysin, the Clinique Manufacture Internationale of Dr. Auguste Rollier and the University Sanatorium of Dr. Louis Vauthier. Both facilities offered treatment for tuberculosis and other diseases to patients from all over the world. They followed a strict daily routine to promote positive feelings and speed recovery. The case studies show how the Alpine sanatoriums combined a sense of health with the Alpine landscape, mountain air, and an international program. They provided a space where people from many different nations came together to recuperate, make friends, and live in a spirit of internationality.
Scaglia succeeds in drawing an extremely lively, readable, perfectly researched, and multi-layered panorama not only of the Alps but also of the emotions that were associated with them and mobilized for the idea of internationalism. Whether this internationalism as the author understands it—a broad spectrum of ideas and practices—really benefited from the Alpine background is, however, a question that requires closer examination. The League of Nations, based in Geneva, was the first global organization dedicated to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the promotion of international cooperation. It achieved important goals such as the settlement of the Åland Islands conflict between Finland and Sweden. It promoted humanitarian aid as well as international agreements and declarations—in particular the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024. However, the League lacked the necessary resources to enforce its resolutions. The idea of internationalism increasingly gave way to nationalist aspirations, which undermined peaceful international cooperation in Europe and ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II. As we all know, the National Socialists also liked to exploit the mountain panorama. The book would have benefited from placing its findings in the context of these later events.
However, this does not detract from the convincing and inspiring reading experience. The Emotions of Internationalism is an asset to both the history of emotions and internationalism. It will encourage further work on the topographies of international ideas and practices.
