On Becoming an Artist Anew: Refugees’ Arrival in the Field of Cultural Production in Austria

Abstract

This article focuses on how artists who had to flee Syria between 2011 and 2016 have restarted their artistic careers in Austria. Pries’ concept of arrival and Lamont’s symbolic boundary approach offer an analytical framework for examining the process of becoming an artist anew. By drawing on data collected from a 4-year ethnography in various fields of cultural production in Vienna, this article sheds light on the barriers these artists face in their process of arriving. The findings show two superordinate challenges: ‘having to start from zero’ and ‘struggling to be seen and recognized as artist’. A better understanding of the factors that affect refugees’ artistic practices could be particularly beneficial regarding the role of art as a means of social inclusion. Finally, the question arises as to what extent artistic pathways can serve as a lens for studying the experience of arrival in the context of forced migration.