Deciphering the Genome of “Crisis” in the Syrian “Refugee Crisis”: Towards a Hermeneutic Tripod

Abstract

This chapter describes the tragic situation of Syria, that spurred waves of refugees beginning from 2015 onwards, and examines the data of the drastic conditions that drove these Syrians to migrate to Europe. The European host societies that accepted such refugees are challenged by their presence. To decipher the genome of “crisis” in the phrase “refugee crisis,” the best method is to use the hermeneutic tripod of identity-relationality-othering. This chapter analyses the Syrian refugee crisis in today’s European societies from the perspective of this tripod to demonstrate that a coherent perception of their sitz im leben: challenges an understanding of the nature of the situation; helps decipher the components of thought-forms about migrants; and maps and re-maps the web of meanings that underpin the conduct and behavioural patterns that are exhibited and experienced by host peoples and migrants.