Please forward this message to colleagues who might be
interested in Labnet.
Dear colleague,
On 17-18 February 1997 the International Institute of Social
History organised a conference at which The state of Labour
and working class history in Europe was discussed. Those
present at the conference, a group of 50 Labour Historians
from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and
Switzerland, decided to found Labnet, the European network of
Labour Historians.
Within the field of Labour history explanations based on
national data are increasingly felt to be inadequate. More and
more attention is focused on international and comparative
history. At the same time more fields of activity are becoming
concentrated on the European level. This is beginning to hold
true for research and the funding of research and in the
future this trend may be expected to become stronger. Labour
historians should organise on the same level to be prepared
for this development. And last but not least, those present
felt that Labour historians all over Europe can learn much
from each other.
The meeting therefore decided to found a European labour
History Network, Labnet. The association regards as Labour
history the history of the working classes, including, but not
limited to their organisations. It is open to all those
interested in European Labour history, wherever they are
based. The primary aim of the network is exchanging
information. The structure of Labnet will be as light as
possible, using electronic means of communication where this
is possible.
Labnet will publish a Newsletter on paper, operate as the
network on Labour for the bi-annual European Social Science
History Conference and organise conferences of its own.
However, an electronic discussion list will be the main artery
of the communication between members of Labnet. Through the
list members may exchange information, review books and
discuss developments in the field. You will find conference
announcements and calls for papers and you can send in the
announcements of the conferences or sessions you may be
organising yourself. You can ask colleagues questions on data
and literature they might be more familiar with than yourself.
The Labnet list is very easy to operate. If you want to
subscribe to the list, simply send an e-mail message
containing only the words "SUBSCRIBE Labnet" to
LISTSERV@iisg.NL. You will receive easy instructions on the
use of the list, including how to get off whenever you want to
leave the list again.
We do expect that the Labnet list will grow into a very useful
tool for every European Labour Historian.
Yours,
Lex Heerma van Voss (LHV@iisg.NL)
Marcel van der Linden (MVL@iisg.NL)
International Institute of Social History
Amsterdam, the Netherlands