Explanatory Capacity of the Aspiration–Capability Framework in Studying the Migration Experiences of Educated Iranians

Document Type : علمی وپزوهشی

Authors

1 Department of Sociology. Faculty of Social Sciences, university of allameh tabataba'i . Tehran , Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies,, Faculty of Social Sciences Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jsr.2025.379688.1987

Abstract

The prevailing discourse on migration and emigration in Iran is heavily influenced by conventional migration theories, which follow a linear and positivist approach and solely assume a one-sided, continuous process of leaving the home country. Contrary to the mainstream perspective—which attributes any migration decision other than emigration to individual exceptions—this study adopts a critical narrative research approach that applies recent international migration literature, with a focus on the aspiration-capability framework, to demonstrate how the dominant narrative ignores the complex reality surrounding various migration decisions, including choices to emigrate, engage in voluntary and involuntary immobility, or return, among educated Iranians. Aside from the success stories of emigration and the recently identified "Desperate" or "Liminal" type, who are already represented—and even overrepresented—by the hegemonic discourse, this research has detected four additional types whose experiences are in significant disharmony with the aforementioned narrative. These types highlight the nuances of migration decisions among educated Iranians. While "The Hedonists" incorporate the migration experience into their aloof lifestyle, the other three types—"The Reflexive," "The Resistant," and "The Companion"—undertake a distinct journey during which they find their own ways of adaptation and readaptation to the complexities of life in their troubled home country, a phenomenon particularly explainable by the aspiration-capability framework in migration studies.

Keywords

Sociological Review
Volume 32, Issue 2
March 2026
Pages 185-203

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