Education and The Politics of the Syrian ‘Refugee Crisis’: Educational Journeys and Hope Under Uncertainty

Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 2pm to 3pm

This talk draws on oral history interviews with 60 Syrian young people who grew up in exile across nine countries to examine how the global framing of the ‘refugee crisis' has reshaped their lived realities and the meaning of education. It argues that education has become a central site through which hope is promised, managed, and deferred under restrictive migration regimes. While education is positioned as a universal right and pathway to future belonging, young people’s experiences reveal how policies of containment, segregation, legal precarity, and unequal mobility shape life within and beyond classroom walls, as well as how young people themselves challenge and navigate uncertainty. The talk draws on Hiba Salem’s forthcoming book, The Politics of Education and Hope in Forced Migration: Journeys of Syrian Young People Across the World.

Please note this session will not be recorded.

Speaker(s): Dr Hiba Salem

Series: Global Public Seminars in Comparative and International Education

Venue: 15 Norham Gardens - Seminar Room K/L - Seminar Room K/L 15 Norham Gardens Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 6PY United Kingdom

Department: Education (Department)

Organiser: Dr Maia Chankseliani