Syria: The Making and Unmaking of a Refuge State

The book explores how the forced migration of nearly 50% of Syria's population has produced the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, and how modern Syria became a refuge state. It focuses on the major forced migrations into Syria and examines the current outflow of people from Syria to neighboring states as individuals and families seek survival with dignity.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 304 pages
\n Publication date: 15 April 2021
\n Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
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The dispossession and forced migration of nearly 50% of Syria's population has resulted in the most significant refugee crisis since World War II. This new book contextualizes the current displacement within the broader framework of migrations that have profoundly impacted the region over the past 150 years. Syria itself has served as a refuge for millions from neighboring lands, shaping Syrian society through these diasporas. Dawn Chatty delves into the origins of modern Syria as a refuge state, particularly focusing on the significant forced migrations of Circassians, Armenians, Kurds, Palestinians, and Iraqis into the country. By drawing extensively from individual narratives and stories of integration, adaptation, and compromise, she demonstrates how a local cosmopolitanism became an integral part of Syrian society. She also examines the current exodus of people from Syria to neighboring states, where individuals and families are seeking survival with dignity. Despite the uncertain future, Chatty argues that the resilience and strength of Syrian society, both within Syria and across borders, bode well for a successful return and reintegration. If there is any hope to be found in the Syrian civil war, it lies in this historical context.

\n Weight: 400g\n
Dimension: 141 x 214 x 28 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781787384941\n \n