Une historienne du social, du local à l’international. Entretien avec Sandrine Kott

Sandrine Kott is a historian, professor emerita at the University of Geneva, and Global Distinguished Professor at New York University. In this dialogue with historian Denis Pelletier, professor emeritus at the EPHE (École Pratique des Hautes Études), she reflects on an intellectual journey that began in France and Germany before taking on a decidedly international dimension, from Switzerland to the United States. She traces the shift in her research interests, from the philanthropic practices of 19th-century Alsatian business owners to the world of the Cold War as seen through the lens of international organizations in the second half of the 20th century. Topics include Alsatian paternalism, the birth and consolidation of the German welfare state, society in the German Democratic Republic, global inequalities, and the Cold War. Politika, Politics Tested by the Social Sciences LabEx Tepsis, supported by the EHESS https://www.politika.io/ https://politika.io/fr/entretien/hist... 00:00 A historian of the social, from the local to the international 01:23 Why work on the Cold War after working on the history of the social? 05:25 How does one work on the global intelligences that are constructed through institutions? 10:02 How does one enter into German history when one's name is Sandrine Kott? 15:15 Part of the intellectual history of her work. 19:16 What role did the journal Genèse play? 26:00 What separates Nazi totalitarianism from Soviet totalitarianism? How can we rewrite this history? 30:20 What is the idea behind the dictatorship of limits? 35:05 What changes for a historian when moving from Poitiers to Geneva as a working environment? 38:23 Has this move to Switzerland transformed your practices as a professor? 40:50 What place does women's history occupy in your career path? 46:35 How does the issue of social rights change when one shifts to a transnational perspective? 50:07 What is the role of the archive? 53:15 Is the engaged, civic dimension of research important to you? 55:53 What are your current projects?