Choosing Syria: Narratives of staying or returning, as told by the story-teller of SouriaLi, a Syrian non-government radio station in 2012-2018

Abstract

Why would someone return to Syria after 2011, or choose to stay if they had the chance to leave? This thesis explores the answers to this question as presented in 15 stories told in the Ḥakawātī (Storyteller) program in the Syrian non-government controlled Radio Souriali, in the period 2012-2018. The thesis finds that central motivations, as presented in the stories, include a desire to stay true to one’s moral self, a feeling of obligation to help others, and a feeling of belonging. The thesis also finds that telling these stories could be a way of including Syrians in the story about their country, thereby providing agency and hope for change.