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Tyrol's migration history: A UNESCO event for the future!
The Migration Tirol Documentation Archive receives UNESCO recognition for its collection on labor migration in Tyrol.
Tyrol's migration history: A UNESCO event for the future!
The collection "Here at home. Migration stories from Tyrol" has achieved massive success: over 40 sub-collections with historical documents that record the memories and stories of migrants from Tyrol have been included in the Austrian UNESCO document heritage. These documents tell of labor migration, mainly of so-called “guest workers” from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey, as well as other countries of origin such as Tunisia and the Philippines. The head of the Migration Tirol Documentation Archive (DAM), Christina Hollomey-Gasser, described this recognition as a “great confirmation of the previous work at a high quality level”. tirol.orf.at reported.
What is particularly impressive is that this represents the first official recognition of labor migration in Austria from the 1960s to the 1980s. Dirk Rupnow, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the University of Innsbruck, expressed his delight at this step, which counts migration as part of Austria's integral history. The entire inventory includes 46 sub-inventories with personal memorabilia, photographs and interviews, which were brought together through a collection campaign entitled "WE COLLECT! Migration is part of the history of Tyrol" between 2016 and 2017. This campaign, supported by regional institutions and the University of Innsbruck, was launched by dam.tyrol carried out as part of the comprehensive migration history of Tyrol.
Digital accessibility and future projects
The initiative, which will take place as part of UNESCO's “Memory of the World” program, aims to raise awareness of migration stories. The DAM plans to generate more research requests and reach a wider audience. Digital formats are also used to make the rich holdings accessible to everyone. The “Here at home” initiative has already been digitized and is available on the website hier-zuhause.at.
The DAM's collaboration with various institutions such as the Tyrolean State Museums and the University of Innsbruck is highlighted as pioneering. Hollomey-Gasser plans to continue working at a high level and expand the archive to include new aspects of migration history. A project on the refugee movements of 2015 is planned for next year in order to bring these less heard voices into the public debate.