middle east law and governance 9 (2017) 282-297 © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017 | doi 10.1163/18763375-00903006 brill.com/melg Dignity and Humiliation: Identity Formation among Syrian Refugees Basileus Zeno University of Massachusetts, Amherst basileus.zeno@gmail.com Abstract Since 2011 half of Syria’s population has been forced to flee its homes. Much research has focused on the macro-level challenges and post-conflict reconstruction plans. In this article, I focus on the micro-level by examining the dialectic of “humiliation” and “dignity” as a dynamic that shapes and transforms Syrian refugees’ identities through sustained interaction, and sometimes through struggle, with others, who can be pro- regime or pro-opposition Syrians, or pro-refugees or anti-refugees in hosting countries. Methodologically, I use an interpretive approach which focuses on context-specific meanings and their relation to power, seeking multifaceted understandings of refu- gees’ lived-experience. This research is based on ethnographic fieldwork and ordinary language interviews conducted in the United States, and semi-structured, open-ended interviews with Syrians in Germany and Turkey. I show that researching participants’ meaning-making in their own settings reveals the dynamics of humiliation and dig- nity as dialectically interwoven in specific situational contexts and shaped by refugees’ lived-experience in both the country of origin (in the past) and the hosting country (in the present). Keywords Arab Spring – Syrian refugees – humiliation – dignity – interpretivism * The author would like to thank Marc Lynch, Laurie Brand, and the participants in the pomeps workshop on Refugees and Migration Movements in the Middle East, Timothy Pachirat, Ben Nolan, and Katty Alhayek for their thoughtful feedback and comments on multiple drafts of this article. Thanks also to Catholic Charities, Smith College School for Social Work and the Building Together Planning Committee, Vijay Prashad, and Susannah Crolius for their sup- port during the research process. Lastly, a special thanks to all refugees and asylees who have graciously allowed me into their lives and shared their stories and experiences with me.