Categorizing, registering and reporting of mobility and stay

Project leader (PI): PD Dr. Sigrid Wadauer
Project team member: Sarah Sabina Zöchling, BA BA BEd MA
Start: December 2024
Funded by: FWF (project number 10.55776/PAT9328724)
 

Abstract:

The project deals with the Meldewesen – the registration of change of place and stay – in Austria from around 1850 to 1938. State authorities regarded censuses, passport regime and the registration system as complementary measurements of gaining the knowledge necessary to protect order and security. With the liberalization of the passport regime in the second half of the 19^th century, the continuous and ubiquitous monitoring of all persons within the national territory – citizens and foreigners – seemed more urgent than ever. At the same time, the registration system subjected different categories of the population to unequal strict rules, it implied and created differences not only in terms of affiliation, but also in respect to the social status of citizens, the context and type of stay. It distinguished forms of mobility and was the basis for statistical representations of migration and tourism.
The registration system was often denoted as the “soul” of police work, yet it fundamentally relied on reports from the municipalities, house owners, landlords, janitors, innkeepers, employers, private hosts, heads of hospitals and monasteries, etc. The practical functioning and (often criticized) failure of the reporting system was also based on the willingness and interest of all those involved parties, to register and report correctly, to be registered or to avoid doing so. It was also shaped by their agendas. 
The registration system did not only serve state administration or police surveillance. The documentation of residence was relevant for claiming or denying the right of residence (Heimatrecht) in a municipality, and consequently undisturbed residence and poor relief. Not only citizenship and gender, but also the duration of residence was crucial for the right to vote. Registration information could be used for police searches, it could also enable creditors or relatives to locate people. With respect to registration and identification requirements questions of privacy and “data protection” were discussed. Registering was often criticized as imposition and forced confession. At the same time, travel guides highlighted remarkable guest books and by signing in, people documented their status as spa guests, mountaineers or pilgrims.
Building on the FWF project “Co-Production and Use of Identity Documents”, the project examines the historical development, the regional and social differentiation of these registration practices, which have been little studied up to now. It will consider national and transnational debates. The focus of the research lies on investigating the often ambivalent interests and the practical interplay of the parties involved. The project will reconstruct the everyday interactions and negotiations in the context of the registration system.