(Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia

Syrian refugees from the war which has been waging since 2011 now number more than 6.4 million. Of these, an estimated 24,000 Syrians of ethnic Armenian origin have arrived in the Republic of Armenia since 2011. Government sources estimate the number of those who have stayed to number around 14,000...

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Main Author: Sossie Kasbarian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: North Carolina State University, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies 2025-02-01
Series:Mashriq & Mahjar
Subjects:
Online Access:https://lebanesestudies.ojs.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/mashriq/article/view/448
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author Sossie Kasbarian
author_facet Sossie Kasbarian
author_sort Sossie Kasbarian
collection DOAJ
description Syrian refugees from the war which has been waging since 2011 now number more than 6.4 million. Of these, an estimated 24,000 Syrians of ethnic Armenian origin have arrived in the Republic of Armenia since 2011. Government sources estimate the number of those who have stayed to number around 14,000. Some have moved to other destinations perceived to hold better prospects, whether temporarily or with a view to stay permanently; others have returned to rebuild their lives in Syria. In mapping these multidirectional movements, it is apparent that Syrian Armenians’ encounter with Armenia is a process of continuous negotiation—Armenia is alternately a site of refuge, a historic or potential homeland, and a temporary transit. While previous studies have acknowledged the economic, social, and political challenges of settling in Armenia, the 2020 war in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh and its continuing reverberations at both the local and the wider geopolitical levels add a layer of critical precarity that is qualitatively different. This article argues that the 2020 war and its continuing violences have rendered Armenia a precarious homeland for Syrian Armenian refugees. Such precarity potentially jeopardizes the intentionality of many Syrian Armenians to stay in Armenia.
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spelling doaj-art-594ba96de2424af99c6a398cfb2cb2b52025-02-11T16:08:27ZengNorth Carolina State University, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora StudiesMashriq & Mahjar2169-44352025-02-0112110.24847/v12i12025.448(Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in ArmeniaSossie Kasbarian0University of Stirling Syrian refugees from the war which has been waging since 2011 now number more than 6.4 million. Of these, an estimated 24,000 Syrians of ethnic Armenian origin have arrived in the Republic of Armenia since 2011. Government sources estimate the number of those who have stayed to number around 14,000. Some have moved to other destinations perceived to hold better prospects, whether temporarily or with a view to stay permanently; others have returned to rebuild their lives in Syria. In mapping these multidirectional movements, it is apparent that Syrian Armenians’ encounter with Armenia is a process of continuous negotiation—Armenia is alternately a site of refuge, a historic or potential homeland, and a temporary transit. While previous studies have acknowledged the economic, social, and political challenges of settling in Armenia, the 2020 war in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh and its continuing reverberations at both the local and the wider geopolitical levels add a layer of critical precarity that is qualitatively different. This article argues that the 2020 war and its continuing violences have rendered Armenia a precarious homeland for Syrian Armenian refugees. Such precarity potentially jeopardizes the intentionality of many Syrian Armenians to stay in Armenia. https://lebanesestudies.ojs.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/mashriq/article/view/448SyrianArmenianrefugeeArmeniaArtsakhNagorno Karabakh
spellingShingle Sossie Kasbarian
(Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia
Mashriq & Mahjar
Syrian
Armenian
refugee
Armenia
Artsakh
Nagorno Karabakh
title (Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia
title_full (Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia
title_fullStr (Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia
title_full_unstemmed (Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia
title_short (Re)constructing Homelands Between Precarity and Intentionality: Syrian Armenians in Armenia
title_sort re constructing homelands between precarity and intentionality syrian armenians in armenia
topic Syrian
Armenian
refugee
Armenia
Artsakh
Nagorno Karabakh
url https://lebanesestudies.ojs.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/mashriq/article/view/448
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