Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin's (1924–1987) essay "Stranger in the Village," written by the great American author during a stay in the Swiss alpine village of Leukerbad in the early 1950s, serves as the starting point for this book. It documents an artistic engagement with the theme of racism in Switzerland, particularly within the art and cultural sectors. Works by international contemporary artists such as Igshaan Adams, Kader Attia, Omar Ba, James Bantone, Marlene Dumas, Melanie Grauer, Jonathan Horowitz, Sasha Huber, Glenn Ligon, Martine Syms, and others respond to Baldwin's literary-political treatise. Texts by distinguished experts accompany the artistic exploration, providing a well-founded insight into the consequences of prevailing structural racism. The volume "Stranger in the Village" is a call for breaking taboos, holding up a mirror to us. It poses questions that concern us all and allows us to recognize the urgency of everyday racism through art.