Becoming a Refugee: The Forced Migration Decision-Making of Iranian Religious Minorities

• In Event: 1154 - Refugees: Comparative Perspectives from Above and Below

Abstract

Though the root cause of a refugee’s migration is forced, prospective refugees still engage in migrant decision-making as they leave their homes and their countries. Whether their decision is made quickly under duress or over time under conditions of sustained oppression, refugees must weigh their present circumstances with their well-being and the safety of their family. There is ample research on the social conditions of refugees, yet we know little about the individual-level decision-making process that precedes forced flight. Prior studies of refugee decision-making operationalize migration as a binary of leaving or not leaving, overlooking the conflicting desires and reluctance that may accompany the decision to leave. This paper is based on interviews with 43 Iranian refugees in Vienna, Austria who were applying for resettlement in the U.S. through a favorable policy provision for religious minorities. Findings shed light on how, under conditions of systemic religious discrimination, refugees experience a threshold effect that ultimately triggers their decision to leave. These refugees do not make the decision to leave Iran lightly and arriving at this conclusion can be a drawn out and painful process, accompanied by reluctance and regret. By examining the micro-level forced migration decision-making of Iranian religious minorities, this paper provides a more nuanced understanding of how refugees ultimately arrive at the difficult conclusion to leave.

Author

• Molly Fee, University of California-Los Angeles