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Social Class and Forced Migrants’ Secondary/Onward Mobility Decision-Making : Syrians in Turkey and Lebanon

Kavak, Sinem LU and Hamza, Mo LU orcid (2026) In International Migration Review
Abstract
This article aims first to understand how and why refugees decide to leave or stay in their first country of asylum, and second to contribute to the theory of agentic analyses of migration. Our contribution adds to the growing body of research examining the impact of social class and associated capitals on the trajectories of forced migrants. Our analysis of the experiences of Syrians in Turkey and Lebanon demonstrates that social class is a critical factor in shaping their experiences in their first countries of asylum. We assert that social class has a significant impact on their future mobility and immobility decisions. By using a Bourdieusian conceptualisation of capitals, habitus and social space and relying on in-depth interviews, we... (More)
This article aims first to understand how and why refugees decide to leave or stay in their first country of asylum, and second to contribute to the theory of agentic analyses of migration. Our contribution adds to the growing body of research examining the impact of social class and associated capitals on the trajectories of forced migrants. Our analysis of the experiences of Syrians in Turkey and Lebanon demonstrates that social class is a critical factor in shaping their experiences in their first countries of asylum. We assert that social class has a significant impact on their future mobility and immobility decisions. By using a Bourdieusian conceptualisation of capitals, habitus and social space and relying on in-depth interviews, we analyse the types of capital that forced migrants possess, their convertibility and their chances of re-establishing their class status. We show that convertibility depends on the type of capital and its interaction with social space. The difference between pre- and post-displacement class status is a significant factor in determining decisions regarding onward mobility, along with the capacity for social reproduction. Our findings demonstrate that voluntary immobility may occur among those who have achieved similar livelihoods to their pre-displacement status and are content with their lives. Lower-income households that struggle to restore their livelihoods are more likely to engage in irregular migration or become trapped in involuntary immobility. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Bourdieu, Capitals, forced migrant, mobility decision-making, refugee, social class
in
International Migration Review
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:105049230425
ISSN
0197-9183
DOI
10.1177/01979183261478058
project
Refugee Decision Making in First Country of Asylum
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
be68e8ca-0a7b-452e-b35f-f439afe0a324
date added to LUP
2026-09-04 10:36:40
date last changed
2026-09-15 09:16:39
@article{be68e8ca-0a7b-452e-b35f-f439afe0a324,
  abstract     = {{This article aims first to understand how and why refugees decide to leave or stay in their first country of asylum, and second to contribute to the theory of agentic analyses of migration. Our contribution adds to the growing body of research examining the impact of social class and associated capitals on the trajectories of forced migrants. Our analysis of the experiences of Syrians in Turkey and Lebanon demonstrates that social class is a critical factor in shaping their experiences in their first countries of asylum. We assert that social class has a significant impact on their future mobility and immobility decisions. By using a Bourdieusian conceptualisation of capitals, habitus and social space and relying on in-depth interviews, we analyse the types of capital that forced migrants possess, their convertibility and their chances of re-establishing their class status. We show that convertibility depends on the type of capital and its interaction with social space. The difference between pre- and post-displacement class status is a significant factor in determining decisions regarding onward mobility, along with the capacity for social reproduction. Our findings demonstrate that voluntary immobility may occur among those who have achieved similar livelihoods to their pre-displacement status and are content with their lives. Lower-income households that struggle to restore their livelihoods are more likely to engage in irregular migration or become trapped in involuntary immobility.}},
  author       = {{Kavak, Sinem and Hamza, Mo}},
  issn         = {{0197-9183}},
  keywords     = {{Bourdieu; Capitals; forced migrant; mobility decision-making; refugee; social class}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{International Migration Review}},
  title        = {{Social Class and Forced Migrants’ Secondary/Onward Mobility Decision-Making : Syrians in Turkey and Lebanon}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/01979183261478058}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/01979183261478058}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}