History

The Institute is named after the University's Sociology and Criminology Professor Willem Adriaan Bonger (1876-1940). Bonger's contributions to the development of the social sciences before World War II is significant. In 1905 he finishes his thesis "Criminality and Economic Conditions" (Criminalité et conditions économiques) in which he links criminality and economic circumstances. In 1913 he issues another important work, "Belief and crime" (Geloof en misdaad), in which he challenges the perspective that the diminishing power of the church correlates a rise in criminality. Bonger criticized the biologically oriented theories of criminality that were dominant in his day and propagated a sociological point of view. In his work he also used statistical analyses. In 1921 he holds the first Dutch University chair in Sociology and Criminology.

Today, multidisciplinarity and societal relevance remain paramount values within the Bonger Institute.