The Effects of Conflict and Flight: National Identities of Syrian Refugees

This project theorises on the effects of conflict and flight on national identity. To advance the explanatory power of International Relations (IR) approaches, it develops an interdisciplinary framework and tests it on the empirical case study of Syria. The project analyses data collected in large N online surveys. The results aim to explore transformations in the meaning of national identity among Syrians and Syrian refugees with specific attention given to the voices of women. How Syrians themselves draw the boundaries around their national in-group will be crucial for any peace settlement as well as for the legitimacy of a future Syrian state, in addition to having broader implications for how IR theory understands national identity change amid conflict. For a cross-case analysis, a study on Palestinian refugees was added to the project. Currently, surveys are being conducted among Palestinian refugees in the West Bank.