Wendy Pearlman, "The Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora" (Liveright, 2024)
Dec 10, 2024
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Wendy Pearlman, a Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, explores the profound impact of war on the concept of home for Syrian refugees in her latest work. She examines the emotional narratives of individuals displaced by the conflict, highlighting their struggles and aspirations for belonging. The podcast delves into the complexities of returning to a war-torn homeland, the adaptation journeys of refugees in new countries like Germany and Japan, and the universal quest for a sense of home amidst loss and resilience.
The Syrian refugee crisis reshapes the understanding of home from a physical place to an emotional and existential concept deeply intertwined with individual identity.
Personal accounts reveal the profound sense of loss, guilt, and nostalgia experienced by Syrians as they grapple with the memories of their past homes and relationships.
Despite the challenges of cultural adjustment and integration, Syrian refugees demonstrate resilience and adaptability, finding hope and belonging in their new environments.
Deep dives
The Struggle for Home in the Syrian Diaspora
The podcast discusses the concept of home within the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, emphasizing how war and displacement challenge individuals' understanding of what home means. Many Syrians reflect on their journeys of leaving their homeland and the profound sense of loss that accompanies such departures. Home transforms from a physical place into an emotional and existential concept, with themes of belonging and attachment surfacing in their stories. Ultimately, the quest for home becomes intertwined with their identities and aspirations as they navigate their new realities and search for stability in foreign lands.
The Impact of the Syrian Conflict on Refugees
The devastating consequences of the Syrian conflict are illustrated through personal accounts of those affected, highlighting the urgency behind their flee for safety. Many Syrians recount their experiences with violence, loss, and the experiences that forced them to leave everything behind. The challenges they faced while attempting to settle in neighboring countries or journey toward Europe further emphasize the dire circumstances that define their narratives. As the podcast conveys, the Syrian refugees’ stories are not merely statistics; they represent the transformative journey of individuals caught in complex socio-political turmoil.
Coping with Displacement: Building New Lives
The podcast explores how Syrians strive to rebuild their lives after displacement by focusing on the resilience and adaptability demonstrated in their journeys. Individuals, such as those who migrated to Germany or Turkey, recount undergoing significant cultural adjustments and societal challenges as they seek belonging. The struggles faced in various regions, from bureaucratic hurdles to integrating into local communities, illustrate the complexities of adapting to new environments. However, amidst these struggles, stories of hope and perseverance emerge, showcasing how these refugees create homes and establish identities in unfamiliar places.
Reflections on Loss and Memory
The emotional weight of loss permeates the podcast as it delves into the memories and sentiments that haunt many Syrian refugees. Stories emphasize the profound sense of guilt and nostalgia felt by those who have lost family, friends, and their original homes, leading to an ongoing struggle to reconcile with their past. Personal tales reveal a persistent void from their experiences of displacement and violence, highlighting the emotional toll of their journeys. This exploration captures the complexity of the refugee experience, where loss is not merely about physical property but also about the people and relationships that define one’s sense of self.
Hope and the Pursuit of Belonging
Throughout the podcast, the journey towards belonging is portrayed as a multifaceted and ongoing process for Syrian refugees. It examines the tension between holding onto the past and the necessity of forging new lives in different cultures. The accounts of individuals engaging with local communities and building relationships reveal how belonging can manifest in surprising ways, despite earlier challenges. Ultimately, the podcast underscores the resilience of the human spirit, demonstrating that hope remains a powerful motivator for those who continue to seek a place where they can feel at home.
War forced millions of Syrians from their homes. It also forced them to rethink the meaning of home itself.
In 2011, Syrians took to the streets demanding freedom. Brutal government repression transformed peaceful protests into one of the most devastating conflicts of our times, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions.
The Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora (Liveright, 2024) takes Syria’s refugee outflow as its point of departure. Based on hundreds of interviews conducted across more than a decade, it probes a question as intimate as it is universal: What is home? With gripping immediacy, Syrians now on five continents share stories of leaving, losing, searching, and finding (or not finding) home. Across this tapestry of voices, a new understanding emerges: home, for those without the privilege of taking it for granted, is both struggle and achievement. Recasting “refugee crises” as acts of diaspora-making, The Home I Worked to Make challenges readers to grapple with the hard-won wisdom of those who survive war and to see, with fresh eyes, what home means in their own lives.
Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org