About the IIRE

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The International Institute for Research and Education

- 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 from every inhabited continent. Most participants have come from the Third World. The IIRE has become a prominent centre for the development of critical thought and interaction, and the exchange of experiences, between people who are engaged in daily struggles on the ground. The Institute’s sessions give participants a unique opportunity to step aside from the pressure of daily activism. The IIRE gives them time to study, reflect upon their involvement in a changing world 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 reflects the importance of situating each struggle in a particular country in a broader context, and of the need to develop wide-ranging international solidarity.

After a quarter of a century, the IIRE moved  to new and more modern premises. In 2007 the Institute became 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 critical social theory and history. Finally, we are supporting the development of IIRE campuses in Pakistan and the Phillipines.

In addition to the Institute’s own activities, it supports broader global and local projects to promote emancipation and social justice. The Institute regularly hosts public lectures and debates organised with other progressive forces in Amsterdam.

The board of the IIRE has appointed a network of Fellows which plays a crucial role in developing critical research Most Fellows teach at universities, but all combine practical experience of activism with scholarly expertise. Fellows edit and contribute to our publication, the Notebooks for Study and Research, and take part in our seminars.

Our website is constantly being expanded and updated with freely downloadable publications, in several languages, and audio files. Recordings of several recent lectures given at the institute can be downloaded from www.iire.org - as can 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.