Syrian Kurds and Politics of Naturalization: From Statelessness to Displacement to Citizenship

Abstract

This project examines the transition from statelessness to naturalization and citizenship in the case of Syrian Kurds who have historically been denied their identity. The project explores the extent to which the statelessness of Syrian Kurds triggered their migration and how it affected their legal status, resettlement and integration in their countries of asylum, mainly Sweden and Germany. The aim is to understand how identity is perceived, negotiated and expressed during the transition from stateless to national or citizen alongside experiences of migration and exile. The purpose of this study is not only to clarify the complex relationship between statelessness, migration and identity of Syrian Kurds, but also to shed light on this relationship in a broader historical, political and social context.

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Publications

Bahram, H. (2021) ‘Too little too late? Naturalisation of stateless Kurds and transitional justice in Syria', In Bloom, T. and Kingston, L. (eds) Statelessness, Governance and the Problem of Citizenship. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Bahram, H and McGee, T. (2021) 'Kurdes syriens : après l’exil, l’apatridie en Europe', Plein droit, 128, pp. 15-18. https://doi.org/10.3917/pld.128.0017.