This week, the Financial Times has reviewed the new book Syria: The Making and Unmaking of a Refuge State by Emeritus Professor Dawn Chatty.
This book places the current Syrian displacement within the context of the widespread migrations that have indelibly marked the region throughout the last 150 years. Syria itself has harboured millions from its neighbouring lands, and Syrian society has been shaped by these diasporas.
As the FT writes, “Over the past 200 years, as regional upheaval forced minorities and religious communities from their homes, millions of refugees … found a safe haven within Syria’s borders.
Dawn Chatty believes that Syria’s hope for the future lies in this past. Her book examines the country’s experience with migration through a mixture of source material and interviews with members of minority communities. A portrait emerges of a country that has been tolerant and generous to those seeking refuge.”
Read the full review here >>
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