From the mid-1990s to about the year 2000, the Humanist Historical Centre interviewed a number of well-known and less well-known humanists about their lives and their role in the humanist movement from 1945 onwards. People from the freethinking association De Vrije Gedachte (formerly De Dageraad) and the ‘Jongeren Vredes Actie’ (Young Peace Action) are also interviewed. They are important precursors of the modern post-war humanist movement.
The latest interview project of the Humanistisch Historisch Centrum (HHC), called ‘Sprekend Humanisme,’ dates from 2018-2019.
The interviews are with people who became members of the Humanistisch Verbond in the period 1946-1955. Often they also became members of a local branch, called a ‘community’ in the early years.
In 2021 no thorough research has been done on the activities within the communities of the HV, let alone anything substantial published about them.
By means of these interviews, the Digital Humanistic Heritage attempts to obtain information about the backgrounds of the members of the local communities and the activities that were developed. That is why we opted for so-called life-course interviews in which the life phases of the person are discussed; youth and family, school and education, career and humanism.
In 2012-2014, as part of a publication, the HHC interviewed a number of humanist spiritual counsellors about their lives and work in the Dutch armed forces. The interviews were with retired counsellors and counsellors in active service. They give a good insight into the work of these people before, during and after military missions over the years. They also give an insight into the problems they have to deal with.
A number of interviews were transcribed by employees of the Veterans’ Institute. The rest were transcribed by employees of the HHC. This means the form of the transcription may differ. The Veterans Institute has transcribed the interviews roughly, by time and subject. The HHC transcribed the interviews verbatim.
