ISMEL Institute for the Memory and Culture of Labour, Enterprise and Social Rights  ISMEL was founded in Turin in 2008 to collect and preserve the industrial heritage of Turin and Piedmont arisen from its industrial development throughout the 20th century.

The institute counts 27 local members which represents labour, entrepreneurship and social movements in Piedmont. Thanks to this network ISMEL stands for a unique project of its kind in Italy and one of the few in Europe. ISMEL works not only to preserve the historical memories on labour and social rights but also to bring to wider audiences these stories adopting innovative narrative forms and languages.

The Institute began its activities by fostering the preservation and usability of archival and library heritage produced by social and political movements, concerning workplaces and industrial relations as well as the struggle for social rights. Throughout the years, cooperating with his members and partners, the Institute has developed several in-depth activities to investigate the issues of labour both from a historical and contemporary point of view (including conferences, public events, exhibitions, publications, research, training courses). Every two years ISMEL organises the Settimana del Lavoro: this event aims to investigate the relationship between labour and a topical issue that changes with each edition.