The Institute

About the IIRE

The International Institute for Research and Education

entreelombokstraat2

 

- in the service of progressive forces around the world

The International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE) provides activists and scholars worldwide with opportunities for research and education in three locations: Amsterdam, Islamabad and Manila.

 

Since 1982, when the Institute opened in Amsterdam, its main activity has been the organisation of courses. Our seminars and study groups deal with all subjects related to the emancipation of the world’s oppressed and exploited. It has welcomed hundreds of participants, most participants have come from the Third World. The IIRE has become a prominent centre for the development of critical thought and exchange between activists. Our sessions give participants a unique opportunity to step aside from the pressure of daily activism. During a session, they have the time to study, reflect upon their involvement in social movements, unions, students organisations, etc. and exchange ideas with people from other countries.

The IIRE shares the belief of grassroots activists that societies can and must be changed democratically from below. This change must be made primarily by those who suffer from exploitation, oppression and injustice. The IIRE stresses the importance of situating each struggle in a particular country in a broader context, and the need of concrete international solidarity.

After 25 years the IIRE moved to new and more modern premises. In 2007, the Institute has been equipped with a large and modern conference hall and meeting rooms, all provided with equipment for professional simultaneous translation. The Institute has its own kitchen and bedrooms for visitors. The Institute’s library of 25.000 books and periodicals is a unique resource for researchers in leftwing theory and history. Finally, we are supporting the development of IIRE sister institutes in Pakistan and in the Philippines.

In addition to our own activities, we support broader global and local projects to promote emancipation and social justice. The Institute regularly hosts public lectures and debates organised with other progressive forces.

The board of the IIRE is supported by a network of Fellows which plays a crucial role in developing progressive thought. Many Fellows teach at universities, but all combine practical activism with scholarly expertise. Fellows contribute to our publications, the Notebooks for Study and Research, and take part in our seminars.

Our website is being expanded with downloadable publications in four languages, audio files and video recordings. The recordings can be downloaded from this site - as can the audiotapes of the talks given by founding Fellows such as Ernest Mandel and Livio Maitan, dating back to the early 1980s.

The IIRE is an international foundation, recognised in Belgium as an international scientific association by Royal decree of 11th June 1981.

 

IIRE

Lombokstraat 40
1094 AL AMSTERDAM
T: 020 463 38 33
F: 020 673 21 06
email:
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The Institute