The collections and archives of the International Institute of Social History contain evidence of a social and economic world that affected the life and happiness of millions of people. Including material from every continent from the French Revolution to the Chinese student revolt of 1989 and the new social and protest movements of the early 2000s, the IISH collection is extensively used by researchers from all over the world.
In his long and singular career, former director Jaap Kloosterman has been central to the development of the IISH into a world leader in researching and collecting social and labour history. The 35 essays brought together in this volume in honour of him, give a rare insight into the history of this unique institute and the development of its collections.