Routledge Syrian Refugee Children in the Middle East and Europe: Integrating the Young and Exiled (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Society)

Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, Syrian refugee children have withstood violence, uncertainty, fear, trauma and loss. This book follows their journeys by bringing together scholars and practitioners to reflect on how to make their situation better and to get this knowledge to as many front liners - across European and neighbouring countries in the Middle East - as possible. The book is premised on the underlying conception of refugee children as not merely a vulnerable contingent of the displaced Syrian population, but one that possesses a certain agency for change and progress. In this vein, the various contributions aim to not just de-securitize the ‘conversation’ on migration that frequently centres on the presumed insecurity that refugees personify. They also de-securitize the figure and image of the refugee. Through the stories of the youngest and most vulnerable, they demonstrate that refugee children are not mere opaque figures on who we project our insecurities. Instead, they embody potentials and opportunities for progress that we need to nurture, as young refugees find themselves compelled to both negotiate the practical realities of a life in exile, and situate themselves in changing and unfamiliar sociocultural contexts. Drawing on extensive field research, this edited volume points in the direction of a new rights based framework which will safeguard the future of these children and their well-being. Offering a comparative lens between approaches to tackling refugees in the Middle East and Europe, this book will appeal to students and scholars of refugees and migration studies, human rights, as well as anyone with an interest in the Middle East or Europe. Review A timely contribution to the critical academic debate on the refugee emergency of the last few years, this new book by Michelle Pace and Somdeep Sen sheds light to the plight and challenges of Syrian refugee children. While offering new data and insights on specific integration issues such as education and rights, the book is innovative also in its approach to identity, agency and resilience of refugee children and their families. A must read for researchers, policy makers and media professionals working in the field of asylum and migration in Europe today. Anna Triandafyllidou, Professor at the Global Governance Programme (GGP) of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS), European University Institute. Syrian Refugee Children in the Middle East and Europe is a thoroughly researched, compassionate, and deep exploration of the protection issues faced by Syrian children with clear ideas about how the issues can be addressed. Highly readable, each chapter looks at the plight and possibilities of displaced Syrians from a distinctive and valuable lens. This book is a must-read for any development, stabilization, or humanitarian response professional working on Syria, as well as for donors, the United Nations, academics, and conflict analysts. While the focus is Syrian children, anyone with an interest in conflict resolution and refugee populations anywhere would benefit reading Syrian Refugee Children. Martha Myers, former Country Director for Save the Children/Syria and CARE/Palestine In 2012, a year into the Syrian ‘humanitarian crisis, UNICEF issued a statement that there must be ’no lost generation’ of Syrians. Yet aside from that declaration there was little action and even less research into how to proceed. This volume edited by Pace and Sen is a seminal work and makes a significant contribution to a steadily growing literature about Syria and its refugees. Focussing on the under 18 year olds, Pace and Sen takes as their starting point the ‘desecuritizing’ of the discourse around Syrian refugee children. The volume identifies the manner in which Syrian refugee youth possess a certain agency and may become the embodiment and potential of the future if properly nurtured. With chapters loo