The complex “sociology of emotions” afflicting Syria's forced migrants

This reality became evident in Syria in late 2013 and early 2014. At the time, people initially left their homes and sought temporary safety in surrounding towns. However, as the destruction spread and inflicted all parts of the country, they had no choice but to leave the country altogether.

After a year or so, European nations began to feel the burden of this forced migration on their own countries.

Due to the impact of migrants on their societies, a "refugee crisis" was born.

Disappointment; a way out

In the third chapter, titled Frustration and the Birth of a Definitive Migration Plan, Mahmud tackles the phase known as "the years of disappointment" – when hope is lost.

When the uprising broke out in Syria, there was a temporary feeling of optimism when residents moved to nearby locations. At the time, they assumed they would be able to return.

When their hopes were dashed, however, emotions shifted. Their way out, or their solution, became relocation, migration, and a search for their "final home".

This is a result of several factors, notably the pursuit of security, refusal to participate in the war or mandatory military service, attempting to escape difficult living conditions, seeking a more tolerant environment, and searching for a better future.

Most importantly, it was an attempt to manage strong emotions such as fear, frustration, sadness, or anxiety.

The disappointment phase is characterised by severe economic, social, political, and physiological damage, as well as growing frustration with international politics and injustice. Feelings of longing and torn allegiances exacerbate this.

In addition, the demographic suffers. This is evident in the loss of a generation of youth, who were engulfed by war. After 2014, this phase intensified in Syria.

Home away from home

In the fourth chapter, titled Emotions and Self-Presentation During the Journey, Mahmud focuses on fear, which is at the core of forced migration.

Refugees tend to exhibit defensive and precautionary behaviours, seeking to protect themselves and their families from psychological and physical harm.

Their emotionally distressing journey begins with securing the costs of their journey. This is followed by intense farewells, as well as moments of self-deception (tricking oneself into feeling or thinking a certain way), and deceiving authorities on both sides.

This phase also involves overcoming language barriers, exploring an unfamiliar place, and becoming acquainted with the role of technology across all stages.

Gratitude underlies this stage. The forced migrant feels thankful for their new setting. They attempt to reciprocate this positive treatment by getting involved in the community and rebuilding a semi-normal life.

During this period, the migrant is influenced by hope for a new life, even though this hope is emotionally driven. They desire an emotional connection to their home, even if it's not entirely practical to achieve it.

In reality, 'belonging' relies on both emotional and practical elements, including feelings of security, welcome, and other structural assurances that may be beyond one's control, relating to public discourse, policies, levels of freedom, the possibility of reuniting with family, and opportunities for education, work, and housing.

Therefore, the migrant cannot develop a sense of belonging alone, without considering external factors.

The decade that migration changed

Mahmud concludes that any researcher who is interested in the concept of migration in the Arab region, especially regarding Syria, must distinguish between pre-2010 migration and post-2010 migration.

The events of this decade represented a significant rupture in people's emotions and feelings of belonging, as well as a disruption of culture and social structures.

It is essential to note that these changes affected both those who lived through them and those who observed them from the outside.

Mahmud also highlights that his book is one of the few studies in this field that analyses all these interactions outside of a therapeutic approach and that the research develops a mid-range theory based on empirical data.

His study is the first of its kind to focus on emotions, and belonging, in forced migration in the Syrian context after the Arab uprisings.

The research introduces several innovative concepts and terms, including "hope for a new life in a new place," "purposeful emotional preventive and defensive management," and forced migrants' relationship to self-presentation and self-deception, where the displaced person convinces themselves that they will return despite the impossibility of return and the process of building a new home.

The book is distinct because it follows an approach rooted in life experiences and the perspectives of social actors, i.e. forced migrants.

Mahmud emphasises that studying this topic through ideological interpretations related to Islamic culture would not yield results. Instead, there is a need for a deeper examination of feelings and emotions, closely linked to the media, international discourse, and global policies applied in the Middle East and North Africa.

Mahmud ends his study by inviting further links between migration studies and foreign policies in general, advocating for future research to go beyond ideas that are limited to border protection or migration trends alone.