'Do Like You Did in Aleppo': Negotiating Space and Place Among Syrian Musicians in Istanbul

Abstract

The experiences of displaced musicians and the socio-cultural practices connected to them are marginalized in the study of refugee movements-especially new ones like the Syrian refugee crisis-subordinated to explorations of economic and political structures affecting refugee mobility, structural integration into host communities andemergencysettings like the refugeecamp. Concurrently, explorations of identity, sentiments of belonging and the reimagining of homeland are common theoretical frameworks applied across the literature. I argue that studying the resettlement experience of refugee musicians can offer a fresh perspectiveonhowidentity, belonging andhomemakingarerenegotiatedindisplacement. Iexplorethisargumentthrougha particular case study of displaced Syrian musicians in Istanbul because of its transformation into a new cultural center for Syrians in Turkey. Through ethnographic fieldwork conducted with Syrian musicians in Istanbul during the summer of 2018, I reflectonhowthe unique experience of musicians canilluminate various conceptual frameworks related to agency, space and place.