Beyond Vulnerability: Syrian Refugees in Urban Spaces in Turkey
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Fellow at IC Migrations, Universite Paris-8,
France
Abstract
Since 2011, 5.6 million people have fled Syria due to ongoing conflict. In Turkey alone, 3.6 million Syrians are confronted with a series of constraints once in the host country. This paper analyses, within the context of urban exile in Turkey, the different experiences and survival strategies of Syrians who are modulated by particular relations of race, class and gender. It aims to explain how refugees manage to create their own visibility in this new space full of limitations, and further explores how their newfound participation in these urban areas can deconstruct dominant representations of refugees, who are otherwise seen as threats or as voiceless victims. In all, this paper aims to go beyond the vulnerability of refugees, without neglecting the violence they endure. To do so, the study was conducted using a series of semi-structured interviews, complemented by an ethnological approach.
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Author Biography
Glenda Santana de Andrade is a PhD candidate in Sociology, attached to the Sociological and Political Research Center of Paris (CRESPPA-GTM /Université Paris 8). Fellow at the Institut Convergences MIGRATIONS, France. Her research focuses on refugees, migration, citizenship, collective action and survival strategies, with a geographical focus on the Middle East. In addition, she holds a master's degree in Political Science from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Université Paris 1), a master's degree in International Politics - IPE from the University of Manchester. She is the author of What kind of citizenship in refugee camps? Palestinians in Lebanon (Quelle citoyenneté dans les camps de réfugiés ? Les Palestiniens au Liban, Paris, l’Harmattan, 2016).