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Introduction       Over the last ten years, the Co-operative Movement has been able to count on   increasing interest from scientists from various disciplines.While all kinds of social models disappeared along with the collapse of the   Berlin Wall, the Co-operative Movement has succeeded in holding its own as the   embodiment of a Utopia that is still being pursued worldwide. The co-operative   sees itself as a movement with a future, not only in the Third World, but also   in Western economies.Although nobody is ignoring the one-and-a-half century-old tradition of the   Co-operative Movement, the movement's past is receiving scant attention in the   renewed flow of publications.Freeing the co-operative from its status as a footnote of social history will   not only benefit the current development of the movement, but will also deepen   know-how regarding consumption and 'self-help'. From recent research, it appears that an insight into the size, evolution and   operation of the Co-operative Movement is essential for numerous research areas.more ...ProgramThursday, 16 October 20035.00 p.m.  Welcome  by Prof. Dr. Herman Balthazar,   chairman of Amsab-Institute of Social History5.15 p.m.  Address  by Dr. Wouter Steenhaut,   director of Amsab-Institute of Social History5.30 p.m.  The People's Cinema. Four films of the British Co-operative Movement,   introduced by Dr. Alan Burton,   De Monfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom7.00 p.m.  Reception Friday, 17 October 20039.00 a.m.  Opening address  by Dr. Wouter Steenhaut,   director of Amsab-Institute of Social History First session The comparative history of self-help  General aspects of the co-operative movement in a comparative perspective   chairman: Prof. Dr. Carl Strikwerda,   University of Kansas, USA 9.20 a.m.  Structure and scope of consumer co-operation: the German experience in the English   mirror  by Dr. Michael Prinz, University   of Bielefeld, Germany9.40 a.m.  The institutional change and consumer co-operatives in a comparative perspective  by Akira Kurimoto, director and   chief researcher of Consumer Co-op Institute of Japan10.00 a.m.  Two phases of consumer co-operation in Scandinavia: pre-war pluralism and post-war   unification under social democracy  by Dr. Iselin Theien, Institute   for Social Research, Oslo, Norway, and Prof. Dr. Even   Lange, University of Oslo, Norway10.20 a.m.  Discussion10.40 a.m.  Coffee break Second sessionAspects of co-operative identity  Co-operatives as creations of alternative states within a state: labour organisations,   film, art, architecture, advertisement, and culture in general  chairman: Prof. Dr. Peter   Scholliers, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium11.10 a.m.  From alternative to trademark: the consumer co-operative movement in Sweden  by Prof. Dr. Peder Aléx, Umeå   University, Sweden11.30 a.m.  How to beat the competition without losing co-operative identity: the case of   the Italian consumers co-operatives  by Prof. Dr. Patrizia Battilani,   University of Bologna, Italy11.50 a.m.  The emergence of the identity of the French co-operative consumption between   the labour movement and social economy (1890-1914)  by Dr. Patricia Toucas, University   of Le Mans, France12.10 p.m.  Discussion12.30 p.m.  Lunch breakThird sessionIslands of social economy  A middle way between capitalism and socialism. Social-economic aspects of co-operative   consumption as an alternative to capitalist economy  chairman: Prof. Dr. Marcel   van der Linden, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, The   Netherlands13.40 p.m.  Traditional Saving in Kasmoni in Surinam and in the Netherlands  by Dr. Aspha Bijnaar,   Nationaal Instituut voor Nederlands Slavernijverleden en Erfenis, Amsterdam,   The Netherlands14.00 p.m.  The marginalisation of the co-operative alternative in Britain (1945-1957)  by Dr. Peter Gurney, University   of Essex, United Kingdom14.20 p.m.  The Future of Consumer Cooperatives in Post-Industrial Societies and a Globalized   Economy?  by Prof. Dr. Victor Pestoff,   Mid Sweden University, Sweden14.40 p.m.  Discussion15.00 p.m.  Coffee breakFourth sessionCo-operatives and politics  Relations between co-operatives and political movements   chairman: Dr. Geert Van Goethem,   Amsab-Institute of Social History, Ghent, Belgium15.40 p.m.  The third pillar: co-operation as a basic building block of social-democracy   in Western Europe (c. 1880-1920)  by Dr. Hendrik Defoort, Gent Cultuurstad, Ghent, Belgium16.00 p.m.  Co-operation and consumer politics in comparative perspective: Britain and Sweden   (c. 1900-1920)  by Dr. Mary Hilson, University College   London, United Kingdom16.20 p.m.  Cooperatives and politics in Switzerland  by Dr. Bernard Degen, University   of Bern, Switzerland16.40 p.m.  Discussion 17.00 p.m.  Conclusions  by Prof. Dr. Glenn Rayp, University   of Ghent, Belgium17.30 p.m.  Visit of Amsab-Institute of Social History including guided tour in the exhibition,   refreshment Saturday, 18 October 200310.30 a.m.  Guided walk in the historic city of Ghent© 2000 Amsab-Institute   of Social History | revised 15-04-2003  info: congress@amsab.be