Rebellion, Refuge, Migration and Asylum

Doctors and pharmacists take part in the Syrian Revolution and the Syrian War, flee and get asylum in Austria.

Abstract

Abstract: The article sets out to explore how far doctors and pharmacists participated in the Syrian Revolution and War starting in early 2011. It asks what the crucial moments were when they decided to leave the country during the Syrian war and whether, and why, doctors and pharmacists chose different routes and strategies to emigrate or flee. Examining their strategies and experiences on the way of migration and flight and after arriving in the host country, the article asks how they coped as new arrivals with the difficulties in having their degrees recognized by the Austrian academic and medical authorities. The analysis of autobiographical accounts indicates that for the group studied, taking part in the Syrian Revolution was a moral rebellion against the Syrian regime, which interviewees perceive as unjust, cruel and authoritarian. The decision to leave the country was taken for economic, professional and security reasons. Often, their migration combined elements of labour migration and #ight in order to overcome legal obstacles and to minimize danger. The article traces different strategies of migration and flight back to gender-speci&c, economic, ethnic, religious and generational contexts, patterns and preferences. Some of the male doctors and pharmacists chose the role of pioneer migrants: after securing asylum, they arranged for their wives and children to follow as legal immigrants. Unmarried young doctors used post-degree professional networks to escape military duty and war. Finally, the article outlines a theory of how life events become transformed into a ‘life design’ that is focused on the immediate future and discusses some of its consequences for political concepts of integration.