Minority reports: foreigners, female professors and floating cows

Here are a few of the stories we will bring you during the week starting on April 17.

Tuesday

Why don’t we ever speak of an “illegal expat”? And what’s the difference between an expat and an immigrant – or is there one? We look into that riddle as we introduce a new dossier called Making Switzerland Home – where you’ll find portraits of remarkable people, opinion pieces by guest columnists and analysis of issues affecting Switzerland’s foreign population.

Speaking of which, what about people born in Switzerland to non-Swiss parents? Where do they fit in? In a new video series, we introduce you to vivacious vlogger Tama Vakeesan, whose family roots are in Sri Lanka.

Wednesday

Swiss voters have banned the construction of new minarets, burkas and the ritual slaughter of animals for food, which some say amounts to the discrimination of religious minorities under Switzerland’s direct democracy. We speak to a political science professor who says that immigrants are at the bottom of the Swiss pecking order.

Thursday

There are equal numbers of men and women doing PhDs in Switzerland, but by post-doc level, the number of women dwindles. We report on a university that’s bringing women back to academia thanks to an innovative programme.

Saturday

Spring is a fine time for a boat ride in Switzerland – even for cows! In this gallery we show you how a farmer ferries his cattle to an exclusive island on Lake Zurich every year. There they spend two months grazing on fresh greenery.

What you may have missed last week: