Asian Diaspora in The Hague (Aziatische Diaspora in Den Haag) is a brief encounter into the world of those who have crossed many physical and mental borders in order to call The Hague their home. It is a collaborative effort between HAB and Leiden University College (LUC), The Hague. A quick search for the words toko (‘shop’ in Bahasa Indonesia) and roti (‘flat bread’ in Hindi) on a Google map of the city will reveal the neighbourhoods or locations of family-owned shops and restaurants belonging to Asian immigrants settled here. Both these words have entered into everyday Dutch and commonly refer to non-Dutch, Asian food, understood broadly. 

The 25 word stories presented, compiled by HAB researchers Enrico Joaquin Lapuz and Cha-Hsuan Liu, are a window into the world of some residents of The Hague who wanted to reveal their journey, through personal, even emotional utterances, inspired by this exercise in linguistic comparison.

The words disclosed by participants in this project convey a sense of attachment to place, one that somehow travels with, is carried along, and held by individuals as they seek a better life, or struggle to be united with their loved ones. We hope that this booklet of words shared by some members of the Asian diaspora in The Hague, alongside their Dutch and English translations, will offer insights into ways of relating with one another, whilst negotiating living with the familiar and the different, in an increasingly globalized, multilingual world.

Download the full digital copy of this wordbook here.