Expatriate Archive Centre

By collecting the social history of expatriate life we show the real life of the expat family like ENJOYING having a big house, domestic staff, high living standard, lots of travelling, a busy social life (parties, sports) but also THE PRICE TO PAY like trying to adjust to new cultures (homesick), third world living conditions (cockroaches, snakes, food shortages, poor medical conditions), the heartache of leaving family behind (children, parents, siblings), raising children without ‘roots’, dealing with natural disasters (earthquakes, floodings, huricanes), political unrest (riots, curfews, discrimination), repatriation, etc.

By sending any item related to your expat life i.e. personal correspondence, (news)letters, postcards, official documents (bureaucracy), diaries, invitations, (boarding)school related things, children’s drawings, short stories, photo(books) with text; in fact anything that gives an impression of your life abroad and the way you have coped and settled. Language is not an issue. Every non-English document will be translated in English.Click here for some examples of contributions.

Privacy is one of our highest priorities and biggest concern. The contributor decides what kind, when and how contributions will be made public for research. See here our Depositor’s Declaration.

We can store it for you or you allow us to make scans before returning the originals. To have a more visual impression of the archival process click here.

Researches/historians who are interested in the impact of expat life:
. social, emotional: culture shock, school life, life style, family relations, rerepatriation.
. geographical, political: changes in countries and/or places over the years.
. genealogical: searching for family members to make a family tree.

Get involved as a
volunteer

Donate to our
collection

1. How do we define an Expat? Whose stories does the Archive look for?
2. Why an Expatriate Archive Centre?
3. How and what can I contribute/donate?
4. What about privacy?
5. What will happen to my contributions/donations?
6. What type of researchers visit the Expatriate Archive Centre?

INTRODUCTION

The Expatriate Archive Centre is situated in The Hague in a building donated by one of the founders. There are 4 part-time staff members: a director, an administrator, an archivist and an assistant archivist. A group of dedicated volunteers work on specific projects. The Archive adheres to all legal and technical requirements demanded of an archive e.g.Wet Persoonsregistratie (Data Protection Act). The collection is kept in a climate controlled room to safeguard the quality of the documents, visual and recorded material. Part of the collection is stored in a digital archive only.

Currently research of the collection is restricted to manual research with a member of staff. Online research by third parties will be available by the end of 2010. It is also possible to donate online (downloads). See link to the right of this page.
For those of you who wish to be interviewed about life as an expatriate, the Archive runs an Oral History Department. Your recorded story will be transcribed and become part of the Oral History Collection. On request a digital copy of the transcription can be sent to you.

If you would like to write about your experiences, or even publish a book, we work closely with the British writer Jo Parfitt, who runs a special course for life story writing (www.joparfitt.com). A special introductory workshop is held by Jo Parfitt at regular intervals at the Archive. The course will also available online as from mid 2010.

Also any documentation of organizations founded by, or for, expatriates are of interest i.e. GOS / Outpost / Notes for Guidance (Shell), Bureau Partner & Kinderen / Postrapport (Min. Foreign Affairs), Global Connection (multinationals), Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), etc.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Vacancy for the position of Archivist