50 years of IHEU: Humanist Archives to write IHEU’s history <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

When, in July 2002, IHEU will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a jubilee World Humanist Congress in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, Congress participants will receive a book mainly dedicated to the half-century of IHEUÕs history. The book, edited by Bert Gasenbeek and Babu Gogineni, will have sections on IHEUÕs history as well as perspectives on the future. The history is being written at Het Humanistisch Archief (the Humanist Archives), a unique specialized archival institution in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

The Humanist Archives was founded in November 1996, by four major Dutch humanist organizations: the University for Humanist Studies, the Dutch Humanist League, Humanitas (the humanist organization for social work), and the freethinker organization De Vrije Gedachte, all members of the IHEU.

Though not yet five years old, the Humanist Archives have already collected some sixty archives, both from national and local institutions, and from distinguished humanist individuals. One of these is the IHEU archive, measuring some 50 meters shelf length. IHEU has in the summer of 2000 formally appointed the Humanist Archives to be keeper of this archive. Because of the importance of this archive, the Humanist Archives has pledged to perform its work on IHEU-archives free of charge.

As keeper of the IHEU archives, the Humanist Archives is pre-eminently equipped to write the history of 50 years of IHEU. Last year, the Humanist Archives therefore drew up a proposal for a jubilee publication. This proposal was accepted by IHEU, and now a large part of our time is dedicated to tasks connected with IHEU-archives. Jan Loman and Pieter Edelman are busy inventorizing, while Bert Gasenbeek and Hans van Deukeren are studying the documents and are writing the history part of the book.

This will be an entertaining concise outline of IHEU history, with plenty of interesting and informative sidesteps. Themes to be treated include the several strands of humanism in and outside IHEU, dialogs with Marxists and Christians, IHEU as an NGO at international institutions such as the United Nations and UNESCO, human rights and development activities, portraits of eminent IHEU activists and predictions from the past of what IHEU should have reached in 2002. Since the book is also to include statements on the present status as well as visions for the future of IHEU, this should make the book interesting reading for the historians at the 2052 centenary. Reserve your copy early!

www.uvh.nl/archief/ Contact: Bert Gasenbeek and Hans van Deukeren at