The IIRE: into a new and better century

Did history end when the Berlin Wall fell? What realistic models can we put forward in opposition to the reigning neo-liberalism? How can we resist neo-liberalism's lurking counterparts: nationalism, racism, fundamentalism, communalism?

Not just intellectuals, but thousands, even millions of social activists, in trade unions, NGOs, ecological movements, students' and women's organizations, are wrestling with these questions. They are trying to protect their constituencies from the painful consequences of economic globalization and shrinking social programmes. But to sustain themselves and function effectively they need a sense of history, a grasp of social theory, and a vision of a better future.

The International Institute for Research and Education in Amsterdam shares these grassroots activists' values: their conviction that societies can and must be changed, democratically, from below, by those who suffer from injustice, on the basis of wide-ranging international solidarity. We exist to help progressive organizations and their leaders pose the questions and find the answers they need. Since 1982 we have welcomed hundreds of participants from over 40 countries to our courses and seminars, which are shaped to meet the needs of several different target groups: European youth organizers, Third-World development workers, economists, core progressive leaderships, women and others. Participants in our sessions have a unique opportunity to escape from the pressure of daily activism so that they can study, exchange ideas with people from other countries and reflect upon their involvement in a changing world.

Heading into our third decade, the IIRE is responding to the demands of a changing time. We are renewing our curriculum. Moreover:

• Our Ernest Mandel Study Centre, opened in 1995, hosts seminars and lectures on economic and social issues of the post-Cold War world.
• Our Notebooks for Study and Research, since 1998 a book series co-published with Pluto Press in London, have received increasing international recognition.
• Our library, which now contains over 25,000 books and periodicals, is being made more useful as a resource for researchers in critical social theory and history.
• Our well-equipped Amsterdam headquarters is being made available for more gatherings of other socially-minded, non-profit organizations.

Our website can let our friends and supporters around the world know how you can participate and help. Your help is more necessary and fruitful today, as we move into a new century, than ever before.

International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE)
Lombokstraat 40
1094 AL Amsterdam
The Netherlands