The Syrian diaspora in London through the transnational lens: a distinctive contribution to contemporary public space and citizenship

Carmen Caruso

doi:10.33182/bc.v8i2.604

Authors

Carmen Caruso The Institute for Modern and Contemporary Culture, University of Westminster Department of English, Linguistics and Cultural Studies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33182/bc.v8i2.604

Keywords:

cluster analysis, asylum policy, European Union

Abstract

Despite cyclical attempts to depict migratory flows as extraordinary, migration has always had a place in human history. Considering the magnitude of human mobility across borders, the management of migrant citizens adopted by affluent Western economies appears both inappropriate and fuelled by panic. In a context of heightened time-space compression, re-articulation of orientalism and neocolonial enterprises and increasing popular discontent towards renewed exclusionary logics, the Syrian diaspora proves to be a crucial interlocutor to understand patterns of transformation and anticipate new spaces of citizenship. Through Syrians’ first-hand experience we will try to analyze the Syrian diaspora in the UK beyond the lexicon of humanitarian assistance. A transnational approach and a qualitative, intersectional methodology have been employed to gather relevant information in regard to Syrians’ migratory experience, with a focus on their activities in the public space. Ultimately Syrians’ accounts will provide a rich, indispensable viewpoint to all-encompassing issues such as human mobility, aesthetics, public space, and citizenship.

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