Syrian Uprising and Identity Change: Case Study of Syrian Christians in Armenia

By the end of 2014 around 40% of Syria’s Christians have left the country as a result of the growing insecurity and increasing sectarianism as the conflict develops. Most of them went to Lebanon either to stay there or to arrange their onward journeys. This paper examines changes in self-identity of Syrian Christians who have left their country because of the uprising and uses Lebanon as a case study. It analyses the role of the church, ethnic communities, the Lebanese government and international NGOs in the process of identity change. The research pays particular attention to identity differences among Syrian Christians in Lebanon according to their affiliation to a particular dimension of Christianity, as well as their relations with members of the ethnic communities inside or outside Lebanon. Finally, the paper discusses main problems faced by the Syrian Christians in Lebanon and how these difficulties influence their perception of self.