Syrian Families through Forced Migration and Transformation of Gender Relations

This research aims at exploring how Syrian families, facing the challenges of forced migration, deal with social repercussions of displacement . In particular, it will focus on how forced migration affects gender roles and gender relations among Syrian families displaced in Lebanon and Germany . Bourdieu’s theorisation of habitus, capital and field will be at the base of this research. The concept of cultural capital refers to symbolic elements acquired through being part of a particular community or social class . Forced migration obliges people to share those forms of cultural capital with others but also push- es them to create a common sense of identity and a collective position within the society of resettlement . Cultural capital is physically embodied by Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, which deeply ingrains habits, skills, and dispositions that peo- ple collect due to life experiences . Forced migration brings about the transfer of people’s habitus into different fields – or distinct arenas of practice. In this sense, it is important to understand which habitus and which capital refugees bring to the receiving society, as well as the way they experience a hysteresis when their habitus is not in line with the field in which they exists (Bourdieu 1986). This study is part of a wider on-going PhD research designed on a qualitatively driven approach and empirical data . My hypothesis is that forced migration has an important role in empowering people, transforming household dynamics, as well as in shaping the idea of home and family (Salih 2013) . In this sense, Lebanon and Germany, as countries of destination, have an important role in challenging existing forms of gender relations and family dynamics . Focusing on the country of destination is important to differentiate the nature of agency that refugees are able to assume.