Introduction: Syrian Refugees – Facing Challenges, Making Choices

Abstract

Analytically speaking, migration involves a series of decisions. Put differently, it requires facing a range of altering circumstances and making choicesboth for the migrants themselves, and for the countries that find themselves impacted by migration. The contextual factors that underlie the various types and patterns of (non-forced or forced) migration differ dramatically. Nevertheless, from the perspective of the people who are doing the moving (especially across international borders), a common element is the decision to move itselfwhich is almost always taken after facing significant (economic, social, political) challengesplus decisions about where and how to move, and what to do after moving (de Jong and Gardner, 1981; Carling and Collins, 2017). And for migrants or refugees, once the post-migration stage is reachedtypically at the end of a difficult journey that has proceeded through many stagesdecision-making remains central; in debates over settlement, integration, naturalization and potential re-migration or return. Decision-making is also the concluding theme of receiving countries as they attempt to deal with the flows of migrants and/or refugees. The policy-making process is replete with difficult choices, including how to respond to the various claims of immigrants or refugees who enter, how long they might stay (i.e. permanently or temporarily), what kind of work (if any) they may undertake, their impact on the welfare system or the ability of migrants or refugees to "integrate" into the communities in which they live (Rousseau et al., 2002; Boswell et al., 2011). Needless to say, these decision-making and policy-making processes are all the harder in the context of forced mass movement, compared to voluntary migration. All these various aspects of "facing challenges and making choices" have been observed vividly in the last 8 years in the case of the millions of Syrian refugees who have been displaced internally or internationally. Since 2011, as many as a half of Syria's 22 million inhabitants have been forced to flee their homes, temporarily or permanently. Recent UN figures show that more than 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and there are around 5 million refugees outside the country (UNHCR, 2018). The first wave of Syrian displacement came in April 2011, when hundreds died in clashes between the Syrian Army and opposition forces as the conflict erupted. By the end of 2011, with the country descending into full-scale civil war, thousands had fled to neighbouring countries, with even larger numbers displaced within Syria itself. Two years into the conflict, some 2.5 million Syrians had become refugees, mostly in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. By 2015, the number of Syrian refugees in these three neighbouring countries had grown to nearly 4 million-2.5 million in Turkey, nearly 1 million in Lebanon and half a million in Jordonin addition to another half million in other two countries in the region, Iraq and Egypt. In 2015, with the conflict in its fifth year and with no resolution ...

Uncertainties shaping parental educational decisions: The case of Syrian refugee children in Turkey

“…future (Khoo et al, 2008;Axelsson, 2017;Robertson, 2019). Previous research focusing on solely refugees' experience of temporality also stated the negative effects of uncertainties on refugees' future plans, decisions, mental and general well-being (Mansouiri and Cauchi, 2007;Biehl, 2015;El-Shaarawi, 2015;Icduygu and Sert, 2019). However, the effects of uncertainties on their children's education were largely missing.…”

Recurring Displacement, Homemaking and Solidarity amongst Syrian and Palestinian Syrian Refugees in Turkey

“…Refugees from Syria faced hostility and discontent from an increasing number of Turks, especially those in lowincome areas who saw themselves as competing for jobs and resources with these refugees (Daniş and Nazli 2018; Kirişi and Ferris 2015). The Turkish government, for its part, was toning down its welcoming rhetoric and increasingly emphasising the issue of Syrian refugee return in public discourse (Içduygu and Sert 2019).…”

“…A number of Turkish migration scholars argue that, despite the above turn of events and despite the unwillingness of the government and the Turkish public to admit it, Syrian refugee presence in Turkey which, as of 2020, is in its ninth year, has entered the integration phase (Içduygu and Sert 2019;Daniş and Nazli 2018). Amidst this shift in attitude on the part of the Turkish government and people towards refugees from Syria, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are playing a crucial role in helping refugees to access the rights provided by the state and to integrate them into society at the local level by creating new social spaces (Sunata and Tosun 2018).…”

Framing Syrians in Turkey: State Control and No Crisis Discourse

“…. Yet, one thing that is persistently constant is the continuing uncertainty and ambiguity where there are considerable variations in how the lives of refugees are directed and manipulated by the current forms of international and national refugee protection regimes, and how their lives are subject to a state of “permanent temporariness” (İçduygu, 2018; İçduygu and Sert, 2019).…”