Between belonging and longing to belong
Between Belonging and Longing to Belong: Gendered and Intergenerational Lived Experiences of Syrian Refugees in the Netherlands
This dissertation explores how Syrian refugees in the Netherlands navigate migration, integration, and belonging across gender and generations. Moving beyond policy or economic perspectives, it focuses on the emotional, relational, and identity dimensions of displacement and how refugees construct belonging and cope with exclusion in everyday life.
Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork and autoethnographic reflections, the study introduces the concept of the pendulum of belonging to describe Syrians’ oscillation between legal inclusion and cultural exclusion. It highlights how Syrians of different ages rebuild their lives and identities in distinct ways. Younger generations often find pathways through education and social mobility, while older refugees face structural barriers and the loss of professional roles, yet continue to cultivate resilience, family stability, and a dual sense of belonging to both the Netherlands and Syria.
The dissertation draws on the Capability Approach, the Critical Life Course Perspective, and theories of Bordering, Othering, and Intersectionality to link structural constraints with personal agency. It contributes to forced migration research by illuminating gendered and generational dynamics and emphasizing the value of insider and reflexive research. Policy-wise, it calls for integration strategies that address intergenerational inequalities, emotional well-being, and the relational dimensions of belonging that refugees actively forge within Dutch society.