Crafting displacement: Reconfigurations of heritage among Syrian artisans in Amman

Abstract

Heritage has been established as a core factor in shaping identity and community. Alongside the human suffering and mass displacement arising from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, there has been increased attention on heritage as a victim of war. While scholarship has predominantly focussed on the impacts of conflict on built heritage, through semi-structured interviews and oral histories produced in collaboration with three Syrian artisans displaced to Amman, I unravel the relationship between artisanal crafts, the intangible practices that manifest in them, and the spatial environments through which they are conceived. As such, I highlight processes of change occurring through migration in relation to this heritage, to illustrate how reconfigurations of space have led to reconfigurations of craft. By suggesting an approach that emphasises the reconfiguration of heritage rather than its destruction, I accentuate the resilience of people and processes of un- and re-making.

Preserving and Celebrating Syrian Intangible Cultural Heritage in the UK: Strategies, Insights, and Untold Narratives

“…Moreover, while a considerable number of our participants had no prior professional engagement with ICH in Syria and only experienced it in their daily lives, many developed these skills after migrating to the UK, showcasing their adaptability. In contrast, other studies, such as the aforementioned UNESCO survey and Shahab [77], highlighted individuals with distinct craftsmanship skills. Even with these differences in terms of recognizing skill sets, our findings underscore Syrians' innate adaptability and the crucial role of heritage in enhancing resilience.…”