The Graduate Institute, Geneva - Institutional News of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

At the end of February 2011, Shaloma Gauthier, PhD candidate in International History and Politics at the Institute, was awarded a Grant-in-Aid to conduct research at the Rockefeller Archive Centre in Sleepy Hollow, New York. “I am honored to have been awarded the Rockefeller grant as it will enable me to consult a wide array of primary sources, which are pertinent both for my doctoral thesis as well as the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) funded research project in which I am involved”, Ms Gauthier said. Her PhD thesis currently in preparation is entitled “Territories Unable to 'Stand on Their Own': International Organisations and Their Endeavour to Administer and Supervise State-Building”.

According to Ms Gauthier, it is a study of the character and legacy of the concept of state-building during the course of the 20th century. From 1919 to 1990, two main international organisations, the League of Nations and the United Nations, administered initiatives which influenced global trends and norms with respect to state-building, she pointed out. “My research will highlight the experience of the mandate system under the League of Nations and various peacekeeping operations carried out by the United Nations.” Additionally, she will use her time at the Rockefeller Archive Centre to consult documents for the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) funded project based at the Institute where she works as a research assistant entitled, “From Relief to Rehabilitation - The History of Transnational Humanitarian Action on Behalf of Civilian Populations in the Aftermath of the First World War from 1918-1933”. The four-year research project focuses on the aspirations, accomplishments and relations of various humanitarian actors in Europe during the period in question. The project is led by Davide Rodogno, SNF Research Professor with the Institute’s International History and Politics department. His project has also benefited from the support of the Rockefeller Foundation through the receipt of a grant-in-aid. Shaloma Gauthier is currently pursuing a PhD at the Institute in International History and Politics where she obtained a master in 2008 in the same field. “I was drawn to the Graduate Institute as it is located in one of the epicentres of international activity”. She added. “For my master’s thesis, I was able to greatly benefit from many documents located at the League of Nations Archives at the United Nations.” The Institute’s history is closely linked to both the League of Nations and to the Rockefeller Foundation. William Rappard was co-founder and director of one of the Institute’s predecessor institutions, the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI). He was also director of the League of Nations’ mandate department. HEI was founded to provide training for diplomats from the League. The Rockefeller Foundation provided much of the funding for the Graduate Institute from 1927 to 1954. The Foundation recently provided the Institute’s Global Health Programme with a generous donation. The Rockefeller Archive Centre’s competitive grant-in-aid programme provides reimbursement of expenses related to research conducted in the archives. The archives include the records of the Rockefeller family, the Rockefeller University, the Rockefeller Foundation, and other philanthropies and associated individuals. The Centre's collections contain over 36,000 cubic feet of documents, over 500,000 photographs, and 4,000 films. Scholars visit the Centre to conduct research for books, articles, dissertations, and films in a wide variety of fields.