On Understanding Syrian Diasporic Identities through a Selection of Syrian Literary Works

Abstract

As of late August 2018, a total of 58,600 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada (Government of Canada, 2019). The Syrian Diaspora today is a complex topic that speaks to issues of dislocation, displacement, loss, exile, identity, a desire for belonging, and resilience. The aim of this paper is to offer a better understanding of the Syrian peoples who have become, within the past four years, part of our Canadian citizenry, local communities, and members of our schools and workforce. By engaging the voices of Syrians through their literary works, this essay seeks to challenge some of the ontological and epistemological underpinnings that have historically defined Syrians and to offer alternate ways in which we may better know and understand what it means to be Syrian today. Historically Syrians have written and spoken about exile in their literature, long before the the Syrian war began in March of 2011. To deliver a sense of Syrian identities, a selected number of pre-Syrian-war writers and poets are engaged in this essay, including Nizar Kabbani, Muhammad al-Maghut, Zakaria Tamer, Mamduh Adwan, Adonis and Nasib Arida; furthermore, to capture a glimpse of a post-war sentiment, the voice of Syrian novelist Najat Abdul Samad, whose work was written from within the national borders of a war-torn Syria, is brought into the discussion.