Metaphors in Syrian Refugees' Narratives of Forced Displacement : A discourse-dynamics approach

Solie, Tasneem and Semino, Elena (2026) Metaphors in Syrian Refugees' Narratives of Forced Displacement : A discourse-dynamics approach. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

In this thesis, I follow a discourse-dynamics approach to metaphor analysis to understand how displaced individuals use metaphor to narrate their lived experience of displacement, relocation and resettlement from Syria to the UK. In 2011, the Syrian people demanded regime change after half a decade of the totalitarian rule of Assad’s Baathist regime. This was met by violence that escalated into civil war, which causedmassive displacement from and within the country. Approximately 6 million Syrians made their way to Europe looking for safety and 50,000 of them ended up in the UK. At that time, the UK’s public discourse on immigration was increasingly hostile, shaped by anxieties around security, national identity, and economic strain. Against this backdrop, Syrian refugees were often represented through reductive and politicised frames. To understand how Syrian refugees in the UK make sense of their experience, I interviewed 11 Arabic-speaking individuals who were displaced from Syria and came to the UK between 2015 and 2018. The interview questions focused on their lived experiences around key moments of their stories. More specifically, the interview questions centred around their emotional experiences and reactions to the changes in their lives. Interviews were transcribed and ATLAS.ti was used to assist with the analysis process. The discourse-dynamics approach to metaphor analysis in addition to the Metaphor Identification Procedure - VU University Amsterdam (MIPVU) were used to identify the relevant metaphors and labeling their topics as well as their linguistic instantiation in the data (i.e., vehicle terms). The analysis identified systematic patterns of metaphor use that are common across all interviews including CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES IS UPSIDE-DOWN MOVEMENT, THE PROCESS OF ASYLUM-SEEKING IS A JOURNEY, THE SELF IS A MANIPULABLE OBJECT, etc. These systematic patterns were often shaped by participants’ affective stances as well as the nature of their displacement and relocation process. In addition to systematic metaphors, findings include a variety of individual metaphors that signify the uniqueness of each participants’ lived experiences. Based on these findings, it can be argued that despite being parts of the same community, refugees come from varying backgrounds that highly influence their description and narration of their lived experiences. In addition to its findings, the thesis makes a significant contribution to the methodology of metaphor identification in non-standardized Arabic dialects. It offers a comprehensive, systematic and reflexive blueprint of applying MIPVU to Syrian Arabic data. Additionally, the project’s reflexive approach to conducting research with refugee communities contributes to the studies on ethical and inclusive research practices.