Welcome to the Pierre du Bois Foundation created in 2008, in accordance with the wishes of Pierre du Bois, who outlined its objectives long ago: to promote and support research on current history and to support researchers and students in this field.
New | Nouveau – 20 October 2026
The Fondation Pierre du Bois is pleased to announce the next Pierre du Bois Chair Public Lecture, given by Professor Anthony Pagden, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and History at UCLA.
His lecture, “From Empire to Federation: Can the European Union become the paradigm for a new world order?”, will take place on Tuesday 20 October 2026, 18:30–20:00 at the Auditorium Ivan Pictet, Maison de la paix, Geneva, and online. The lecture forms part of the 2026–2027 Pierre du Bois Chair Public Lecture Series, convened by Professor Stella Ghervas.
New | Nouveau – 29 September 2026
The inaugural lecture of Professor Stella Ghervas titled “Europe’s Histories: The View from Geneva” took place on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at the Auditorium Ivan Pictet, Maison de la paix, Geneva. Professor Ghervas, newly appointed to the Pierre du Bois Chair “Europe and the World” at the Geneva Graduate Institute, opened the 2026–2027 series of Pierre du Bois Public Lectures.
The lecture was a great success. More information will follow shortly. The series continues with Anthony Pagden (UCLA) on 20 October and David Armitage (Harvard) on 9 December.
Learn more about Professor Ghervas More about the inaugural lecture
New | Nouveau – September 2026
The recipients of the Pierre du Bois Prize in 2026, awarded annually for the best doctoral thesis in International History and Politics defended at the Geneva Graduate Institute, are, ex aequo, Dr Michele Zampa and Dr Atwa R. H. Jaber.
New | Nouveau – May 6-7, 2026
The Annual Pierre du Bois Conference ‘Love, Hate, and the Fate of International Organizations: The Psychological Life of Global Governance (1900–Present)’ was organised by the Graduate Institute in partnership with the Pierre du Bois Foundation and took place at Maison de la Paix in Geneva on May 6 and 7, 2026. Professor Amalia Ribi Forclaz and Professor Carolyn Biltoft organized the conference. The keynote speaker was Joanna Bourke, who presented Making and Unmaking of Life: The Politics and Psychology of Fear from the 1970s to the Present.
