Jin, Jiyan, Azadî in the Diaspora 

What are the sentiments of Iranian activists in the diaspora regarding their homeland, and how did they perceive their activist role during the 2022 feminist uprising in Iran?

This study explores the sentiments of Iranian activists in the diaspora regarding their homeland, focusing on how they perceived their activist role during the 2022 Jinha Revolution. Following the death of Jinha Mahsa Amini in September 2022, Iran witnessed its largest feminist uprising since the 1979 revolution. Over four decades of political exile have created a large, active Iranian diaspora across Europe and the United States.

To investigate how diaspora activists navigate this landscape, this project combines digital ethnography of Instagram profiles with qualitative interviews of Iranian activists living in Germany. The research examines:

• The Cybersphere as a Tool of Resistance: How digital platforms bypass state-imposed media blackouts, counteract regime narratives, and connect online resistance with offline solidarity.

• Identity Framing and Emotion: Applying New Social Movement Theory to analyse how diaspora activists frame their identities, navigate liminal cultural spaces, and channel emotional ties of nostalgia, fear, and solidarity.

• Transnational Geopolitics: Investigating how diaspora networks mobilise local resources, build transnational alliances, and exert political pressure on foreign governments to challenge authoritarian power structures.

The findings demonstrate that diaspora communities play a vital role in sustaining transnational solidarity and challenging state hegemony during moments of political crisis. By utilising digital platforms and social media, diaspora activists bridge online and offline spheres, transforming the cybersphere into a horizontal site of resistance that disrupts traditional, top-down power hierarchies.

Through the lens of identity framing and New Social Movement Theory, this research reveals that activism in the diaspora is deeply entwined with emotional negotiations of belonging, longing, and political responsibility. While activists face constant challenges, including online censorship, emotional burnout, and the complexities of liminal identities, their ongoing commitment highlights the resilience of exiled communities. Ultimately, diaspora networks do not merely occupy a status of displacement; they act as empowered agents who amplify marginalised voices, debunk regime propaganda, and shape the global discourse on human rights, democracy, and liberation in Iran.