Rik Hemmerijckx holds a doctorate in history (from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel). His research focuses mainly on trade union resistance, the history of the ABVV, Renardism and communism in Belgium. He worked successively as a historian at the Institute of Social History (Amsab), then as a coordinator for the Auschwitz Foundation. Since 2008, he has been curator at the Emile Verhaeren Museum.
The interviews he conducted concerned trade unionism in times of war. Recorded between 1984 and 1994, 39 files are available upon request for consultation.