Cultural trauma and the politics of access to higher education in Syria

This paper examines the relationship between the politics of Higher Education access pertaining to longstanding practices of patrimonial authoritarian politics and the narration of collective trauma. Building on an empirical study of Syrian HE during war, we suggest that a narrative disjuncture with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Discourse (Abingdon, England) England), 2021-07, Vol.42 (4), p.528-543
Main Authors: Al Azmeh, Zeina, Dillabough, Joanne, Fimyar, Olena, McLaughlin, Colleen, Abdullateef, Shaher, Aloklah, Wissam Aldien, Mamo, Adnan Rashid, Abdulhafiz, Abdul Hafiz, Al Abdullah, Samir, Al Husien, Yasser, Al Mohamad Al Ibrahim, Ammar, Al Ibrahim, Ziad, Barmu, Taiseer, Farzat, Abdulnasser, Kadan, Bakry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Persistence
Access to Education
Authoritarianism
Barriers
Brain Drain
Civil war
Cultural Influences
cultural trauma and education
Decision Making
Educational Change
Employment Opportunities
Foreign Countries
HE and conflict
HE under dictatorship
Higher Education
Political Attitudes
Politics
politics of access to HE
Politics of Education
School Holding Power
Social Differences
Syria
Trauma
War
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Summary:This paper examines the relationship between the politics of Higher Education access pertaining to longstanding practices of patrimonial authoritarian politics and the narration of collective trauma. Building on an empirical study of Syrian HE during war, we suggest that a narrative disjuncture within HEIs has a damaging impact not only upon the educational process, HE reconstruction and reform, but also upon the possibility of social reconciliation. This is especially true when access to education and post-graduation opportunities are directly linked to patrimonial favouritism; widespread social inequalities in access and retention; a violent turn in the purging of oppositional academics; a severely exacerbated brain drain linked to political views; and significantly sparser employment opportunities. Building on the study findings, we show how these challenges are linked to ethico-political positioning vis-à-vis the mass movement of 2011 and related cultural trauma narratives. In closing, we suggest that understanding the relationship between HE access and cultural trauma can inform decision-making on HE reconstruction and future reform.
ISSN:0159-6306
1469-3739
DOI:10.1080/01596306.2020.1715922