Geographical imaginations and migration aspirations: perspectives from Nepali migrants in Finland

Abstract

This article discusses how geographical imaginations influence and evolve throughout the migration process. Drawing on 16 in-depth interviews with Nepali migrants in Finland, the study explores how idealised pre-migration images, often constructed through global media and cultural narratives, are disrupted by lived experiences of bureaucratic challenges, exclusion, and linguistic and cultural barriers present in the host society. These disruptions generate expectation–reality dissonance, prompting migrants to reconsider their position within the host society and revise their imagined futures. We conceptualise im(mobility) decision making as an ongoing negotiation, wherein geographical imaginations are continuously re-evaluated in response to institutional encounters and emotional experiences. Migrants respond to these shifts by adapting, pursuing onward migration, or contemplating return, each path shaped by evolving geographical imaginations and evaluations of belonging. The study contributes to the discussion that frames imagination as a dynamic, affective, and central dimension of (im)mobility.