معرفی
Estelle Sohier is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Geneva since January 2020. She holds a doctorate in History from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the 'Orientale' University of Naples. At the University of Geneva, she directs the Certificate in Visual Studies and co-directs the Bachelor's degree in Geography and Environment. She is also an exhibition curator and an associate researcher at the Institut des Mondes africains.
Her educational background includes:
- Doctorate in History from University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
- Doctorate from 'Orientale' University of Naples
Dr. Sohier's research sits at the intersection of geography and cultural history, focusing on the history of photography and its uses during the colonial period, visual culture, and geographical imagination. She has notably studied the work of Geneva photographer and publisher Fred Boissonnas across Switzerland, Greece, Egypt, and the Mediterranean region. Her research has been supported by several projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), including 'Spatial Devices of the World Spectacle. Geneva, 1895-1914' and 'Ulysses. Reimagining the Mediterranean, from Myth to Photography.' She has conducted extensive research in France, Italy, and Ethiopia.
Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on visual representation, with publications spanning from her 2011 work 'Portraits controversés d'un prince éthiopien' through her 2022 bilingual publication on Fred Boissonnas. Her research trajectory shows increasing emphasis on Mediterranean visual culture, particularly through the lens of historical photography.
Dr. Sohier has curated significant exhibitions including 'Fred Boissonnas and the Mediterranean: A Photographic Odyssey' at the Musée Rath in Geneva (2020-2021) and the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography in Greece (2022-2023), demonstrating the public-facing dimension of her scholarly work.
She has organized the annual conference series 'Social Issues, Spatial Issues' from 2015 to 2021, with evolving themes reflecting contemporary scholarly concerns from 'Spaces, Bodies, and Powers' to 'Thinking (in) a Damaged World: Societies, Space, and Living Beings, New Approaches.'
