In conversation with Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, an expert on American Political Thought and Culture, Jill Lepore traces the history of America as the history of its Constitution and the political conflicts over its interpretation.
Thursday, 08. October 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
The United States is celebrating 250 years of independence — and at the same time is grappling with its democratic future. Jill Lepore traces the history of America as the history of its Constitution and the political conflicts over its interpretation. With historical insight and narrative power, she shows why the Constitution remains at the center of the debate over the “true” America to this day.
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Admission is free. No pre-registration necessary. No seat
reservation possible. The security staff reserves the right to check
bags/backpacks. Taking photos and filming are prohibited without
authorisation and must be refrained from. The event will also be
broadcast live and made available for replay.
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include "These Truths: A History of the United States" (2018), an international bestseller, named one of Time magazine's top ten non-fiction books of the decade. A revised edition will be published in 2026. Her 2023 book, "The Deadline", won the PEN prize for the Art of the Essay. "We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution", a New York Times bestseller, was published in 2025. Her next book, "The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State", will be published in 2026.
Foto: © Andrea Camen
Claudia Franziska Brühwiler is a titular professor of American Political Thought and Culture at the University of St. Gallen, where she earned her doctorate in political science. She is also an affiliated researcher at the Nanovic Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Her award-winning research focuses on the conservative movement in the United States. She has been a visiting researcher and professor at Keio University in Tokyo, University College Dublin and several US universities. She writes a monthly column in the "Tages-Anzeiger" newspaper and hosts the University of St. Gallen's "Grüezi Amerika" podcast.