Should I stay or should I go? How Arab Spring and Economic Crisis affected return intentions?

The widespread enthusiasm triggered by the Arab Spring affected both the first- and second-generation Egyptians and resulted in different forms of action and socio-political participation. In Italy, many demonstrations in support of the Egyptian revolts as well as awareness campaigns were organized by them. The Egyptian revolution arisen from the Arab Spring has had the role of unifying generations in the sense of belonging and the belief about changes and future opportunities in Egypt. To what extent this new enthusiasm will transform into real consideration of future returning to Egypt is quite an unexplored topic. Relying on the migration theories that tackle the issue of return, we address the following research questions: Which traditional theoretical arguments from the migration theories apply to first- and second-generation Egyptians’ return intention in Italy? Do the changes in Egypt after the Arab Spring strengthen their intention to return? And what is the role of ICT in this process? Data come from qualitative interviews, conducted between September 2011 – January 2013 with Egyptian migrants living in the cities of Turin and Rome. The results show that transnational ties strengthened by the Arab Spring and facilitated by ICT, do support the idea of returning, although a definitive return will probably not occur, neither for the first nor for the second generation, but rather a transnational way of living, especially for those who can take advantage of their skills and social and financial resources.