The Arab Spring and the return intention of Egyptians living in Italy

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Arab Spring and the return intention of Egyptians living in Italy

AU - Premazzi, V.

AU - Ambrosetti, E.

AU - Cela, E.

AU - Fokkema, T.

N1 - Reporting year: 2013

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - the widespread enthusiasm triggered by the Arab Spring affected both first- and second-generation Egyptians in Italy and led to different forms of action and socio-political participation. However, to what extent will this new enthusiasm transform into a real consideration of returning to Egypt is a largely unexplored topic. Relying on the main migration theories, we address the following research questions: which traditional theoretical arguments apply to the intention to return of first- and second-generation Egyptians in Italy? Do the changes in Egypt after the Arab Spring strengthen their intention to return? Presented data comes from qualitative interviews conducted between 2011–2013 with Egyptians in Turin and Rome. The results show that transnational ties strengthened by the Arab Spring support the idea of returning, although a definitive return will probably not occur for the first or for the second generation, but rather they will adopt a transnational way of living. Key Words: return intention; transnationalism; Italy; Egypt; Arab Spring

AB - the widespread enthusiasm triggered by the Arab Spring affected both first- and second-generation Egyptians in Italy and led to different forms of action and socio-political participation. However, to what extent will this new enthusiasm transform into a real consideration of returning to Egypt is a largely unexplored topic. Relying on the main migration theories, we address the following research questions: which traditional theoretical arguments apply to the intention to return of first- and second-generation Egyptians in Italy? Do the changes in Egypt after the Arab Spring strengthen their intention to return? Presented data comes from qualitative interviews conducted between 2011–2013 with Egyptians in Turin and Rome. The results show that transnational ties strengthened by the Arab Spring support the idea of returning, although a definitive return will probably not occur for the first or for the second generation, but rather they will adopt a transnational way of living. Key Words: return intention; transnationalism; Italy; Egypt; Arab Spring

KW - NIET

M3 - Article

SN - 1855-3362

VL - 6

SP - 109

EP - 131

JO - International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies

JF - International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies

IS - 2

ER -