Music in the experience of forced migration from Syria

to the European Borderland

A research project at MMRC (Completed)

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Brief description:

What are the transforming functions, meanings, and socio-political implications of the musical performances of Syrian refugees and exiles throughout their journey and resettlement in Europe? –
"Music in the experience of forced migration from Syria to the European Borderland" is a research project that aims to answer that question and to further inspire music-centered interventions in the form of projects of applied ethnomusicology.

The Syrian people's uprising of 2011 and its violent repression by Bashar al-Assad's regime led to a long-standing, deadly and complex geopolitical conflict, which caused the forced displacement of more than 6 million people, of which one million managed to reach Europe. Germany, Sweden and Austria constitute three of their main destinations. This mass refugee movement gave rise to contradictory social and political reactions as well as new cultural developments and interactions, in many European countries. Despite the promising wave of social solidarity, which emerged in various places especially as of 2015, expressed by ordinary people, activists, NGOs, and sometimes state-funded institutions, there was also, sadly, an increase in xenophobic discourses that pushed for stricter policies against migration. This resulted, in many cases, in the stigmatization, discrimination, and humiliation of certain individuals and communities with refugee backgrounds, on grounds of origin, race, religion and culture. Mass encampment methods, implemented by UNHCR and certain governments for the management of the movement of refugees, do not seem able to provide protection. Moreover, refugees' temporary "stateless" status and exclusion from political society also affects negatively the assurance of their human and civil rights, finally rendering them socially and legally delineated "minorities" within dominant socio-political settings.

Christidis' ethnomusicological PhD research project is based on the documentation of music, songs and dance mainly performed by young men from Syria, during protests and throughout their forced settlement in camps in Thessaloniki, a city in northern Greece, during the summer of 2016. Their constant and dynamic music-making within the harsh living conditions they had to face, challenged dominant depictions of refugees solely presenting them as vulnerable and passive victims of severe external pressures. These people were striving to be seen and to be heard and, according to initial field research findings, their musical expressions could be presumably perceived as a manifestation of their determination for freedom and dignity.

Inspired by research on music and forced migration, music and minorities and contemporary fieldwork methodology, Christidis decided to widen his initial focus so as to include the greater perspectives and socio-political implications of music within the experience of Syrian refugees and exiles in Europe. In order to answer his research question, he developed a multi-sited field research strategy that aims to compare the musical expressions documented "en route" in Thessaloniki with the contemporary musical realities of individuals and communities with Syrian and refugee backgrounds, in various European cities, namely Vienna, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Athens, including also the internet as a site for research. Realizing the importance of combining research and action, especially in minority and migration contexts, Christidis' project finally examines perspectives for applied ethnomusicology, directed at self-empowerment projects that seek to facilitate refugees’ access to the realm of cultural and political participation.

Even though to some extent this research makes conventional use of the term refugee, it also adopts a critical approach to the use of the word, considering that it does not necessarily reflect or represent the lived realities of the people who are labeled as such. This reflection is complemented by particular ethical considerations as prescribed within the Declaration of Ethical Principles of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM)¹ and "Ethics Statement" of the Society of Ethnomusicology (2018).²

Project realization: Ioannis Christidis

Project start: March 1, 2020

Funding: Austrian Science Fund FWF Grant-DOI 10.55776/Z352

[1] Found in ICTM's website: http://ictmusic.org/documents/ethics

[2] Published on-line: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ethnomusicology.org/resource/resmgr/ethics/ethics_statement_2018.pdf