This article analyses the social profile of Geneva's philanthropists around 1900. It shows that, contrary to what the literature on philanthropy argues, philanthropists belonged to varied social groups defined by diverse forms of capital (economic, social and cultural) and were involved in philanthropic activities related to their social status. Together, those philanthropists formed a social field. They were connected to each other and even needed to collaborate on specific issues. The article argues that interconnections between actors reinforced their social position. By examining this field through both quantitative and qualitative methods, the article highlights relationships and ties between actors and shows how they collaborated on the basis of commonly held principles.

*U ni v ers i tédeLausanne ,F ac ul tédessci e n cessoci al ese tpo li ti q ues ,Ins ti tu td ' é tu des politiques, historiques et internationales, Quartier UNIL-Mouline,

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Résumé Cet article analyse la gestion par les autorités fédérales des réfugiés politiques d’extrême gauche, principalement communistes, en Suisse pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Ceux-ci posent un double problème à la Confédération. D’une part, en tant qu’opposants politiques, ils risquent de nuire aux relations diplomatiques et à la neutralité helvétique ; d’autre part, ils sont considérés comme une menace pour la sécurité intérieure de la Suisse.

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