Presentation at Studying Refugees in Northern Europe -Workshop, June 15, 2017, The Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, Sweden.

1. Experiencing Liminality, Social and Digital lives of
Syrians in Europe
BY DR. JOSHKA WESSELS, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

2. PhD thesis publication 2008
• Based on longterm anthropological
and geographical fieldwork in Syria
between 1999 and 2004.
• Comparing the process of Qanat
rehabilitation on two main sites in
Syria: Qarah & Shallalah Saghirah
• The role of actors, agents, power
relations, cognition and identity in
processes of collective action
• Local level conflict transformation
• Social and physical impact of
rehabilitation works

4. Little Waterfall (2000)
• Anthropological Fieldwork
1999-2002 and 2004
• Qanat rehabilitation in Summer
2000
• Return trips in 2004, 2007 and
2010
• In 2010 there was ”khobz wa
millah”
• Last contact from village in
2012 (by phone)
• Renewed contact 2014.
Through social media.
• All people dispersed inside
and outside Syria.

5. Little Waterfall (2000)
• Small village at edge of the desert North Syria
• Descendants of one man from Dera’a in 1890: Musa Hariri with
• 5 sons (Patronymic group). Hariri clan from Hauran.
• Approx. 125 people in the village (2000)
• Extended family spread out (Aleppo, Raqqa, Lebanon, Hauran)
• Agricultural income base was getting lower, regional migration work
• History of feuds and revenge since 1970s
• Weak local leadership since 1980s
• Division of village community (H/A)
• One qanat to share, five haqoun and five turns.

6. Little Waterfall (2000)

7. Little Waterfall (2007)
Source: Digital Globe 2017 (Google Earth)

9. The impact of the Syrian war

10. Battle frontline

11. Internal displacement

12. Searching in northern Syria 2014

13. Academia.edu

14. Internal displacement Syria
2000 Shallalah Saghirah 2015 Islamic State area
(sent via Whatsapp)

15. Turkey
2000 Shallalah Saghirah
2014 Gaziantep

16. Germany/Netherlands

17. Netherlands

18. On-line lives and liminality
Turner quotes: “Neophytes (…) have physical but not social “reality” hence they have to
be hidden, since it is a paradox, a scandal, to see what ought not to be there” (Turner
1964:49). The phase of liminality is often applied to refugee studies, as a form of
crossing or linear passage

19. Digital life histories
• Changing fieldwork circumstances, from mono to multi-
sited: analysis of Internet-based narratives
• Use of ICTs is reflected in contemporary theories that
place an emphasis on the role of ‘networks’, ‘mobilities,’
‘scapes’, ‘liquidity’ and ‘flows’ of various sorts
• Scapes reflect a new geographical fluidity and the flow and
exchange of extraordinary amounts of information
• Enables families to remain in touch with each other on a
daily basis wherever individual members are
geographically located. Chat rooms as connection.

20. Digital fieldwork

21. On-line lives
https://www.facebook.com/arraqqa/videos/1879247785659374/?pnref=
story

22. Off-line lives