Stay, Return or Move On: Involuntary Immobility and Future Imaginations of Syrian Forced Migrants in Beirut and Tripoli

Drawing on data of a quantitative survey (n=366) and 20 qualitative interviews conducted in 2018 with self-settled Syrian refugees living in Beirut and Tripoli, this paper argues that many Syrian refugees today feel ‘stuck’ in Lebanon. Syrian refugees in Lebanon have strong migration aspirations to return and – to a lesser extent – to onward migration but have little capability to realise these aspirations. After having suffered from restricted mobility within Syria due to the war, they often find themselves in a situation of triple involuntary immobility in Lebanon – in regard to internal mobility, return, and international migration. Only a minor part can be described as acquiescently mobile – defined as those who have come to accept the constraints of displacement, aspire to move on, and have the capability to do so. The paper further demonstrates that perceptions about stability, feelings of security, and future imaginations are determinant factors for migration and return aspirations in a context of displacement. Low life satisfaction in first countries of asylum, especially in regard to achieving one’s general life aspirations in the future, security threats back in Syria as well as positive imaginations about life elsewhere are crucial for aspiring to leave Lebanon to another country. The paper also underlines that aspirations for on-migration are deeply linked to transformations initiated through the war and the experience of displacement which have unmade previous life styles.