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Georgetown University

Publication Date

Spring 2018

Program Name

Tunisia and Italy: Politics and Religious Integration in the Mediterranean

Abstract

Having left Tunisia for different reasons, some expatriate Tunisians chose to leave their old lives behind and return to their home country when Tunisia began its democratic transition in 2011. This report focuses on the experiences and perspectives of three returning Tunisians. Understanding these individuals’ views provides a new framework for understanding the path that Tunisia’s democratic transition has taken over the past seven years. Comparing their perspectives on themes relating to their shared experiences reveals differences and similarities. Interviewees largely differ with regards to their lives before the revolution, their previous political activity, the details of their return, their current occupation and personal views of best way to contribute to the democratic transition, and their initial expectations. On the other hand, interviewees largely hold in common their motivations for returning, current feelings about the transition, feelings about the future of the transition, reasons for remaining in Tunisia after seven years, and feelings about the role of returning Tunisians in the transition discourse. Understanding their journeys also reveals the emotional pull of the Tunisian revolution on Tunisians living abroad, a pull that changed their lives.

Disciplines

African Studies | Family, Life Course, and Society | Migration Studies | Politics and Social Change

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