Changing (Im)mobility drivers along migration trajectories in Tunisia; the case of internal migrants in the city of Sousse

People exposed to similar conditions often make different migration decisions, with only a minority choosing to move while others remain. An important but often overlooked group are those who, after moving internally to urban areas, are unable or unwilling to migrate further abroad. How does everyday urban experience shape their subsequent mobility trajectories? Building on the research carried out between 2020 and 2021 in Sousse, the third-largest city in Tunisia and one of the major destinations for internal migrants and an important departure point for international migration, the paper examines how internal migrants in Sousse negotiate decisions to stay in the city, return to their regions of origin, or pursue further internal or international migration. The paper focuses particularly on howthe experience of life in Sousse reshapes migrants’ aspirations, mobility plans and future trajectories. The article contributes to the aspirations–capabilities literature by showing how urban experience recalibrates migrants’ aspirations over time, not simply by increasing or reducing mobility desires, but by reshaping what migrants perceive as possible, desirable and attainable. Drawing on secondary data and in-depth interviews conducted with Tunisian experts and with internal migrants, we show that longer-settled migrants are more anchored in Sousse and rarely consider migration abroad, while those recently arrived remain more open to onward mobility when urban opportunities prove limited.

immobility · Internal migration · international migration · migrant settlement · migration trajectories · mobility decisions · return migration · Sousse · Tunisia · urban experience · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Refugees, and Integration