Conducts research and collects data on the global history of labour, workers, and labour relations

The Utopianism Collection at the IISH

No wonder the IISH has become a depositary for the works of utopians.

Books about imaginary journeys, utopian communities, and futuristic visions by authors such as Etienne de la Boetie and Edward Bellamy are preserved with the utmost care.

The special collection of utopians at the IISH includes contemporary editions spanning centuries of utopian thought and ranging from a very early reprint of More’s Utopia (1518) to works by Fourier, Saint-Simon, Cabet, Proudhon, and Owen.

In addition to these original thinkers, the practical exponents, such as the early communist colonies in North America, are also documented. The Catalogue of Titles on Utopian Communities, Colonies, Communes and other Experiments in Living Together is an extract from the complete IISH catalogue and contains 4,000 records

A Working Guide to Sources on Historical Utopian Experiments in the Western World at the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, was compiled by Nienke van Wijk (1998). Call no  Bro 1301/11fol

"The Last Icarian Group" at Nauvoo, Illinois, USA, BG B24/908