‘The obvious dangers of this relationship’. Interracialized relationships between underage Swiss women and Italian men and the implementation of the Swiss child protection laws (1960–1980)

Abstract

This chapter investigates the regulation of interracialized relationships through the implementation of Swiss child protection laws between 1960 and 1980. Combining an intersectional perspective with insights derived from the anthropology of the state, it provides a close reading of the case of a young Swiss woman who was placed in an educational home after engaging in an intimate relationship with an Italian man. The analysis highlights how the intersectional construction of the ‘dangers’ of this relationship was situationally produced and made effective through the interrelated assessments and decisions of the various actors involved. In doing so, this chapter elucidates the ways in which family and child protection policies, through their implementation, shaped the nation.