Homo Emigraturus vs. Anti Emigraturus : the rise of involuntary immobility in Iran and its consequences

The research on international migration suffers from a narrow conceptual focus on immigrants and an oversight of a much larger category, i.e. those who desire to migrate but cannot. We call the latter group Homo Emigraturus (‘about to leave’) – a group whose in-between position vis-à-vis migration makes them distinct from immigrant and non-migrant subpopulations, in outlook and behaviour. We examine this emerging phenomenon in the case of Iran, a country that has recently witnessed a significant increase in the size of this subpopulation. The data come from 54 semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in 2021–2022. The findings show that living as Homo Emigraturus has enormous consequences for one's emotional well-being, career path, economic planning, intimate relationships, and civic engagement. Furthermore, the growth in the size of this subpopulation alters the country's social and cultural landscape, resulting in the formation of a new group – i.e. Anti Emigraturus – as those who do not wish to migrate and insist on their non-migration decision. Such individuals tend to subscribe to an ‘anti-migration narrative’ to justify their decision. In this study, the characteristics of these two groups are compared, and the implications of these new concepts for international migration theories are discussed.