Testimonies of Syrian academic displacement post-2011: Time, place and the agentic self

Abstract

This article explores the experiences of protracted displacement in a group of 19 displaced Syrian academics now living in Turkey who are often referred to as the ‘precariat’–that is, a group or collective of people who are living in conditions of high unpredictability, insecurity and uncertainty. As part of a small-scale collaborative professional enquiry semi-structured interviews with these academics were conducted to understand the social, affective and professional experiences, needs and concerns of the academics during and after their forced displacement.The key concepts of ‘precarity’ and ‘crises of selfhood’, alongside memory and testimony, inform the analysis. This article seeks to provide an account of this collective experience and its complex character and concludes with observations on how one might understand the constraints on professional agency and how might one support displaced academics in such contexts. Solidarity in exile and the development of political friendships are argued for as a principle to inform all work (Arendt, 1958).

Keywords

• Testimony
• Syrian academics
• Professional identity
• Agency
• Displacement