General state archivist Afelonne Doek puts citizens' interests first
Interview
Afelonne Doek General state archivist and general director of the National Archives
When Afelonne Doek studied History at VU Amsterdam, she had no idea that many years later she would advise State Secretary Gunay Uslu of Culture and Media. Or that she would give a public response to the advice on the retention of text messages following the deletion, and therefore inability to archive, of Prime Minister Rutte’s text messages. But since becoming the general state archivist and general director of the National Archives in 2021, that is her responsibility. Plus, of course, much more.
Doek chose to study History in 1989 because the high school teacher had made her so enthusiastic. This profession was close to her heart. What would she become with it? Doek: "Had no idea then. In any case, not a teacher. Later I considered researcher or PhD student, but that seemed too lonely."
"Studying History taught me to think logically and analytically. That will benefit you a lot throughout your life and in your job."
The largest archives in the Netherlands
It turned out being general state archivist and general director of the National Archives (NA) in The Hague. The NA houses the archives of the government. Doek came from the International Institute of Social History (IISH), where she eventually became director of Collections and Digital Infrastructure. With her move from IISH to NA, she moved from the largest collection of private archives to the largest collection of government archives.
Image: Yvonne Compier
Image: Anne Reitsma
Image: Anne Reitsma
"I stand for as much public access to information as possible, but also for the privacy of citizens."
Transparent and open
"The level of responsibility in my current position is high", says Doek. "For example, I am an independent advisor to the State Secretary for Culture and Media when it comes to archive law. The National Archives is the implementing organization with the general state archivist at the head, and then you are immediately the general director of an organization with hundreds of employees. The trick is to be transparent and open, to show value-driven leadership and to make decisions."
Direction of career determined
Doek's career developed at the intersection of history, collections, supporting ICT and new techniques. After graduating, she was admitted to the postdoc programme in Historical Information Processing for the heritage sector at Leiden University. She felt lucky because there was only room for sixteen graduate historians. "This training determined the direction of my career. From scratch I learned about new techniques and new media, what the structure behind it is and how to manage it."
Broad Lines
The study of History has also brought Doek a great deal. "That's how I learned to think logically and analytically. I see cause and effect, can connect things quickly, recognize the big picture. That will benefit you a lot throughout your life and in your job." Now that she thinks back to that time, she also remembers the impression the non-Western history block made on her. "An eye-opener for me, a whole new view of colonial history, for example. The book Global Rift is still on my bookshelf. The teacher also offered context to what happened then, in the late eighties. Furthermore, palaeography and archival research support me. Funny that I ended up at the National Archives. My graduation thesis was a biography of Henriëtte van der Mey, the first journalist in paid employment."
"Everything in the archives can be viewed under certain conditions. Almost nothing is secret."
Almost nothing is secret
In her working life, Doek wants to add something to society. "As a general state archivist, I stand for the right to government information for every citizen. Our archives have a very important role in society, because with these archives, citizens can reconstruct the decisions and policies of the government in the past. I stand for as much public access to information as possible, but also for the privacy of citizens. Information is public unless; for that unless there are some criteria. But everything in the archives can be viewed under certain conditions. Almost nothing is secret."
Image: Yvonne Compier
Image: Anne Reitsma
Image: Yvonne Compier
Image: Anne Reitsma
Euphemistic language
We know about the society of the past because of the archives we have. But not all voices have been heard and that has consequences for the narrative about that time. Doek: "We are now digitising archives about colonisation. They are full of euphemistic language, as well as downright discriminatory and racist terms. Archives are full of atrocities. What does that do to people who come to consult it today? History has raw and nasty sides."
Will chat messages still be readable in a hundred years?
It is not easy to manage everything and keep it sustainably accessible at a time when we are increasingly communicating digitally. How do you ensure that emails and chat messages from government ministers will still be readable in a hundred years? And that the context is still known? What do you keep and what do you not keep? Doek is clear: "If it's important to the citizen, you keep it. Even if it concerns hundreds or more chat messages from one government official."
Transparency of information first and foremost
Citizens seems to distrust the government more and more. "We can really do something about that by putting the transparency of information first," says Doek. "The cooperation between government and citizens is essential for how things are going in society. The government too often thinks in terms of risks, thus mistrust. I trust the citizen in his access to the archives; trust that they handle the information carefully. I assume the best in others. I learned that at home, but also from VU Amsterdam."
"I assume the best in others. I learned that at home, but also from VU Amsterdam."
Career Afelonne Doek
Afelonne Doek studied History at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and followed the postdoc programme Historical Information Processing at the University of Leiden. She worked at the International Institute for Asian Studies and the International Institute of Social History (IISH), before becoming general state archivist and general director of the National Archives in 2021.
magazine for humanities alumni june 2023