Event Series MIGRATION MATTERS

February 25th, 3pm, Eurac Research Lounge

Iran has long been a site of struggle for freedom and justice, from the Constitutional (Mashrute) Revolution of 1906 to the following decades of resistance, most notably under 47 years of theocratic rule under the Islamic Republic. This trajectory culminated in the Woman, Life, Freedom uprisings of 2022, which reactivated diaspora communities.

This presentation explores how resistance is sustained in everyday and at times fragmented diasporic life. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic research in Milan: a theatre scene, a coffee bar hosting live music and poetry, a cineforum, and a history circle, the study traces how diasporic sensibilities take shape through cultural practices amid political rupture and migratory experiences. The study combines on-site and digital observation, 24 interviews in Farsi, and observational sketching. Given the ongoing repression in Iran, the presentation will also address the violence escalating in Iran since January 2026.

SPEAKER

Somita Sabeti is a PhD candidate at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice and a guest researcher at the University of Gothenburg. Her research examines Iranian diaspora communities and the politics of cultural resistance, memory, and future imaginaries, after the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement. Drawing on multi-sited fieldwork in Italy, her work intersects diaspora, memory, mobility, and social movement theory. She holds a master’s in Migration Studies and has previously worked with the European Commission and as a research fellow at the Migration Research Center of Koç University in Istanbul.

Information and contact

Lena Richter, Center for Migration and Societal Change lena.richter@eurac.edu