The IISH supports the worldwide ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests
The IISH supports the worldwide 'Black Lives Matter' protests against racism and discrimination. The Institute was founded in 1935, at a time of rising fascism, with the aim of saving the archives of social movements and thinkers who stand up for human rights.
In addition, our research programme focuses explicitly on the history of labour, the conditions under which people work, slavery and, in a broader sense, social inequality. In many cases, labour relations are characterized by – sometimes extreme – inequalities in power, income and property on the basis of class, gender, religion, political opinion, ethnicity and origin. With our international collections and research, we want to contribute explicitly to new insights that make it possible to eliminate racism, discrimination and repressive state action.
This protest has many faces, and as a historical (research) institute we strive for a more inclusive organisation with attention to the diversity among our staff, in our collections and in our research. The protest has inspired us to focus even more explicitly on collecting material from people on the margins, many of whom have to deal with institutional discrimination. But we are also working towards more equal access to and participation in the scientific debate. In order to renew our insights and broaden our view, we will continue to disseminate scientific knowledge about unequal labour relations, social inequality, xenophobia and exclusion.
Image: Oproep aan alle Bijlmerbewoners, Anti-Racisme Comité (Amsterdam).
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