Iveser, Venice Institute for the Study of the History of the Resistance and Contemporary Society, was established in 1992 by local associations of partisans (anti-fascist fighters), together with historians and scholars. It supports the Ferruccio Parri National Institute and is part of a network of 67 similar institutions throughout Italy. Between 2017 and 2021, a general meeting of members approved a modified constitution to enable the Institute to join the so-called ‘third sector’ (voluntary sector).
Iveser provides consultancy on historical material and the spread of scientific knowledge; promotes research and debates, conferences, seminars and meetings; organises exhibitions; publishes books and documentaries in collaboration with the local universities, institutions and associations. Iveser also advises on bibliographic and archival research, guided visits and educational itineraries regarding locations important to Venice’s twentieth-century history. Iveser also organises and promotes cultural events.
In the field of education, Iveser acts as a centre of services for the training of teachers and students; it has a specialised library and important and unique archives pertaining to twentieth-century Venetian history.
In its role as a custodian of twentieth-century history, Iveser takes its inspiration from the values of peace and civil coexistence in the struggle for freedom against fascism, and endorsed by the Constitution of the Italian Republic. Iveser also shares the principles stated in the Faro Convention of the Council of Europe on the value of cultural heritage for society.