It’s November 2022, and I am standing in the rain, surrounded by a group of people all dressed in black. Colorful Kurdish and Iranian flags wave in the wind, while music pours from the speakers beside me. The people around me are quietly speaking in Farsi when a young woman steps up and takes the megaphone out of the guy’s hand that is standing next to her in the crowd. There is a crackle before her strong voice fills the square: “On September 13th, 2022, Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, was arrested in Tehran by the morality police – allegedly for not wearing her hijab ‘properly’. Soon after her arrest, she was murdered…”. Two girls behind me start chanting: “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi – Women, Life, Freedom!” I look around, surprised at how many people have joined this protest. And even more surprised by how much the Iranian community in South Tyrol has grown over the past years.

Leaving Iran: A story of revolution and resilience

Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, many Iranians left their home country and migrated to Europe. The revolution, marked by widespread protests, led to the fall of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, whose rule at the time was viewed as authoritarian, corrupt, and heavily influenced by Western powers (especially the United States). Eventually, this led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic and the undoing of much of the previous regime’s modernization and secularization efforts.

Now, many decades after that, we are witnessing a new rise of migration from Iran – sparked not only by the death of Mahsa Amini, but also by broader struggles for social freedom, economic stability, and political reform. Saeid Moidfar, chairwoman of the Iranian Sociological Association, recently noted that Iran is on the brink of a major emigration wave. Alongside political repression and a lack of support for women’s rights, the impact of long-standing sanctions, growing corruption, and increasing crime have worsened conditions, pushing younger generations to seek education and job opportunities elsewhere.

Shifting demographics and emerging challenges

With the recent rise in migration, anti-immigrant sentiment has once again become a significant issue, often driven by far-right populism, as seen in Italy. Interestingly, South Tyrol, as an autonomous province, for the longest time did not actively participate in the discussion about migration. Most migrants in the past chose to settle in Bolzano and Merano, both of which have larger Italian-speaking populations. This led to the perception that migration was primarily an “Italian” issue. However, the number of migrants in the region has grown in recent years. This shift is visible in population data: 8.9% of South Tyrol’s residents are now foreign nationals, slightly above the national Italian average of 8.3%.

Despite this, until the late 2000s, South Tyrol showed limited interest in promoting integration measures. While some institutions were set up to encourage integration, the actual implementation remained challenging. The South Tyrolean People’s Party, for example, labeled integration measures as “unimportant”, which resulted in a lack of concrete strategies and actions.

Arriving in South Tyrol: Between integration and isolation

This lack has also been highlighted by the personal experiences of some Iranian migrants who migrated to South Tyrol during the late 1990s. At the time, most Iranians saw South Tyrol as a temporary stop on their journey to Germany, Austria, or abroad. “Back then, there were few people in the Iranian community, and even those few tended to remain hidden. It was not like today, where tourists and immigrants are arriving for political or social reasons.” While during the first wave of migration from Iran, 90% of students planned to return to their home country after completing their university studies, today only 10% follow through on that plan. The Iranian community in South Tyrol has been growing steadily since the first wave of migration in the 90’s with 339 Iranian migrants settling in South Tyrol in 2021 and a slight increase to 374 migrants in 2022.

When looking at their first arrival in the 90s, some Iranian migrants reported challenges in accessing universities and jobs, primarily due to their prior education and qualifications not being recognized. Also, getting Italian citizenship has been described as “problematic and complicated”, emphasizing that support from locals was needed to speed up the process. “Local people I talked to were puzzled that someone like me, who lives here, speaks the language, and has been working full-time for many years, was unable to get Italian citizenship”. Despite this, the South Tyrolean society at the time has been described as open and interested in Iranian culture, particularly noting that while the German-speaking community seemed somewhat reserved – compared to the Italian-speaking one – the overall feeling was positive. “We didn’t face the same challenges that foreigners deal with today, and many of my Iranian friends would agree. Society was much more open-minded back then, and I personally felt welcomed from the very beginning.”

The experiences made by more recent Iranian migrants, however, tell a different story. Getting Italian citizenship has still been described as challenging. “Iranians tend to just move because of these reasons, not because they don't enjoy the life here.” While access to universities is a lot easier now – and Iranians get commended for their “academic excellence and hardworking nature” – this acknowledgment also has its downsides. “It seems like as long as people feel sorry for you and don’t see you as a threat because you're more skilled, things are fine. But once you’re better than them at something, that’s when the problem starts. But I guess we just learn to deal with these kinds of situations.”

Integration into the South Tyrolean society has become much more challenging compared to the experiences shared by Iranian migrants who moved to the province during the 90s. Locals may initially seem open-minded and welcoming, but their attitudes toward migration are often described as ambivalent. Despite showing genuine curiosity and empathy toward Iranian traditions and the struggles Iranian women currently face, some Iranians report feeling “excluded and stigmatized” when speaking about their home country. “In the end, the real question is: if society is truly open to other cultures, including Persian culture, why does it remain closed-minded toward immigration? In my experience, migrants in Bolzano tend to stay within their own community. It’s unfortunate that in such a friendly city they still find themselves only living in their own circles.”

Integration strategies in South Tyrol: Improvement or setback?

These experiences suggest a shift in the way Iranian migrants are perceived in South Tyrol. While the previous generations emphasized that they felt welcome and part of the local society from the beginning, recently the energy has changed. Despite general improvement when it comes to the recognition of previous education and access to university, Iranian migrants feel much more excluded and stigmatized than before. Although discussions surrounding better integration strategies have become louder, there is still a long way to go. Media portrayals of migrants have led to polarization, influencing public attitudes. As South Tyrol’s society grows more diverse and the Iranian community expands, listening to the perspectives of those affected by these shifts and implementing more effective integration strategies is essential.