Imagined Destinations: The Role of Collective Imagination in Shaping Emigration and Return Among Iranians

• In Event: 20452 - MENA Global Migration and Identities

Abstract

This article examines the role of collective imagination in shaping migration aspirations, highlighting its significance in influencing migration patterns. It argues that migration is not merely a material process but also an imagined one, shaping how migrants perceive emigration, belonging, and return. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 Iranian immigrants and returnees, this research explores how participants perceive their destinations through two Persian concepts: "kharej" (utopian foreign hostlands) and "reesheh" (deep-rooted connections to the homeland). Before emigrating, participants envisioned kharej as an idealized destination, a place of freedom and opportunity shaped by glowing media portrayals of the West. However, upon arrival, their lived experiences often led to disillusionment as they encountered racism, Islamophobia, and exclusion. In response, many turned to reesheh, a (re)imagined sense of belonging rooted in cultural heritage, personal ties, and symbolic connections to Iran. Rather than advocating for a nationalistic return, participants expressed reesheh as a fragmented yet meaningful attachment to Iran that shaped their identity and, for some, their eventual return migration. To clarify the concept of imagination and account for its various dimensions, this article distinguishes between kharej as a collective fantasy and reesheh as a social imaginary. Kharej represents an imagined West constructed through media representations, geopolitical discourses, and diaspora narratives, while reesheh reflects an emergent sense of belonging shaped by lived experiences and cultural memory. This study highlights how imagination operates as both a driving force and a site of contestation in migration, shaping how migrants construct aspirations, respond to disillusionment, and reimagine belonging across transnational contexts.

Author

• Sara Hormozinejad, University of Toronto