- Lodz, Lodzkie, Poland
- Religious Minorities, Middle East, Islam, Arab Christian Studies, International Relations, Political Science, and 34 moreMinority Studies, Muslim-Christian Relation, Eastern Christianity, Migration Studies, Middle Eastern Christianity, Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Syriacs, Arameans, Migration, Ethnic Studies, Diaspora, Globalization, Social Media, New Media, Internet Studies, Blogs, Blogging, the Blogosphere, Arab Spring (Arab Revolts), Arabic Culture, Contemporary Arabic Studies, Egypt, Syria, Coptic Studies, Coptic art, Islam in Europe, Arabic Literature, Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Women and Gender Issues in Islam, Identity construction and cultural production, Identity Construction, Cultural Identity, Collective Identity, National Identity, and Ethnicity and National Identityedit
- Dr hab. Marta Wozniak-Bobinska is an Associate Professor at the Department of Middle East and North Africa, Universit... moreDr hab. Marta Wozniak-Bobinska is an Associate Professor at the Department of Middle East and North Africa, University of Lodz, Poland. She has MA in international relations, PhD in history, and habilitation in political science (University of Lodz, Poland). She has also studied in Syria and Egypt. She has participated as a principal investigator in the project ‘Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christian Communities in Europe’, funded by the Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA). Her main research interests include religious and ethnic minorities of the Middle East.edit
The monograph discusses up-to-date issues concerning the acculturation of a Middle Eastern group in a European country. The book is based on research conducted by the Author in 2014 in the Assyrian/Syriac diaspora in Sweden, within the... more
The monograph discusses up-to-date issues concerning the acculturation of a Middle Eastern group in a European country. The book is based on research conducted by the Author in 2014 in the Assyrian/Syriac diaspora in Sweden, within the framework of the “Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christian Communities in Europe” project. Assyrians/Syriacs (Assyrier/Syrianer) began to arrive in Scandinavia in the late 1960s, fleeing the wars and meagre economic prospects in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Today, they constitute an active diaspora which contributes in various ways to the development of its new homeland and numbers around 150 000 people. The Author describes Swedish migration and integration policies, the history of the Assyrian/Syriac community in the Middle East, the phases and forms of institutionalisation in Sweden, internal dynamics as well as the group’s relations with external actors and its transnational links. One of the main findings of the book is that the ethno-national identity of this community was largely constructed in the Swedish diaspora and is considerably more complex than it had previously been described in research. The identity in question is not a single construct, but rather a few – if not a few dozen – variants, although polarisation resulting from the divide between Assyrians and Arameans/Suryoye/Syriacs is visible.
Research Interests: European Studies, Transnationalism, Diasporas, International Migration, Ethnic minorities, and 15 moreMigration Studies, Syriac Studies, Diaspora Studies, Middle Eastern Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Sweden, Minorities, Integration, Religious Minorities, Church and State, Arameans, Christianity in the Middle East, Neo Assyrians, Syriacs, and Modern Assyrian Studies
Publikacja powstała na podstawie badań Autorki przeprowadzonych wśród społeczności asyryjsko-aramejskiej w Szwecji. Asyryjczycy/Aramejczycy trafili do Skandynawii w późnych latach 60. XX wieku, uciekając z Turcji, Syrii, Iraku i Libanu... more
Publikacja powstała na podstawie badań Autorki przeprowadzonych wśród społeczności asyryjsko-aramejskiej w Szwecji. Asyryjczycy/Aramejczycy trafili do Skandynawii w późnych latach 60. XX wieku, uciekając z Turcji, Syrii, Iraku i Libanu przed wojnami oraz brakiem perspektyw. Obecnie stanowią prężną, liczącą ponad sto dwadzieścia tysięcy osób diasporę, która na różne sposoby przyczynia się do rozwoju swojej przybranej ojczyzny. Szwedzki model, aczkolwiek niedoskonały, w ich przypadku się sprawdził. Autorka opisuje politykę migracyjną i integracyjną Szwecji, etapy i formy instytucjonalizacji w tym kraju, historię wspólnoty asyryjsko-aramejskiej na Bliskim Wschodzie, dynamikę wewnętrzną tej grupy i jej relacje z otoczeniem oraz powiązania transnarodowe. W monografii został poruszony niezwykle aktualny temat, jakim jest akulturacja osób z Bliskiego Wschodu w Europie. Podjęto go jednak z nowej na gruncie polskim perspektywy – ukazując, jak z integracją radzą sobie bliskowschodni chrześcijanie.
Research Interests: International Relations, Political Science, Middle Eastern History, Syriac Studies, Diaspora Studies, and 9 moreDiaspora and transnationalism, Middle Eastern Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Sweden, Integration, Cultural Assimilation, History of Sweden, Assyrian church of the east, and Syriac Orthodox Church
Introduction to Foreign Policy of Muslim States in the Middle East and North Africa (Warsaw 2018, pp. 476, in Polish), edited by Marta Wozniak-Bobinska, PhD, and Anna M. Solarz, PhD, is first in Poland and one of few in the world... more
Introduction to Foreign Policy of Muslim States in the Middle East and North Africa (Warsaw 2018, pp. 476, in Polish), edited by Marta Wozniak-Bobinska, PhD, and Anna M. Solarz, PhD, is first in Poland and one of few in the world compendia on foreign policy of Arabic states, Turkey and Iran. The book consists of 15 chapters discussing policy of different Muslim states, methodological preface and afterword outlining the recent events in the region. It is a result of cooperation between 17 researchers from 9 academies in Poland. Apart from information on history, polical systems, intrests and main directions of foreign policy of Middle Eastern states, it includes the decriptions of bilateral relations between the most important partners and rivals. The volume is intended for students of interntional relations and political studies, journalists, policymakers, businessmen, as well as all interested in MENA region.
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The book concerns the process of identity formation among modern Assyrians and Arameans – a Christian minority from the Middle East. Until the beginning of 20th century the community developed strong collective identity, based on the... more
The book concerns the process of identity formation among modern Assyrians and Arameans – a Christian minority from the Middle East. Until the beginning of 20th century the community developed strong collective identity, based on the belonging to one of the Oriental Churches and Aramaic language. Currently, the group is undergoing a process of national identity construction. The latter splits into at least two sub-identities – Assyrian and Aramean. The book consists of four parts: theoretical framework, historical background in the Middle East, modern history in the diaspora, as well as sociological analysis of 13 in-depth interviews and results of 796 online surveys. The book advances a thesis that the original ethno-religious identity of Assyrians and Arameans transforms into more ethno-national one in the diaspora.
Research Interests: Christianity, Diasporas, Identity (Culture), Nationalism, Minority Studies, and 12 moreNational Identity, Diaspora Studies, Social Constructionism/ Constructivism, European Union and Middle East, Middle Eastern Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Identity Construction, Christians, Arameans, Ethnicity and National Identity, Assyrians, and Syriacs
There has been an academic interest in fatwas regarding abortion since the 1980s (Anees 1989; Rispler-Chaim 1993, 2003; Faúndes, Barzelatto 2006). With the globalisation of ummah – the Islamic community – and the expansion of the... more
There has been an academic interest in fatwas regarding abortion since the 1980s (Anees 1989; Rispler-Chaim 1993, 2003; Faúndes, Barzelatto 2006). With the globalisation of ummah – the Islamic community – and the expansion of the internet, online fatwas have started to provide normative answers to inquiries from Muslims from all over the world. Van den Branden and Broeckaert researched non-voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide expressed in English e-fatwas (2009, 2011). Using their approach and framing e-fatwas in the context of Roy’s view on the virtual Islamic community (2000, we have selected and analysed eighty English Sunni e-fatwas on abortion. On the level of structure, these e-fatwas are very similar – often rooted in the Quran and Sunna but not classical jurisprudential discussions on the subject. On the level of content, they do not deviate from Islamic jurisprudence, which does not encourage abortion but permits it in particular circumstances during specific stages of...
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This article sheds new light on the Aramean movement in northern Israel, drawing from studies on nationalism, racialisation, ethnic conflict and minority mobilisation. In 2014, Israel allowed members of several churches to identify as... more
This article sheds new light on the Aramean movement in northern Israel, drawing from studies on nationalism, racialisation, ethnic conflict and minority mobilisation. In 2014, Israel allowed members of several churches to identify as Aramean. The pivotal role in the Aramean minority's distancing of itself from the Arab identity was played by the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association (ICAA). Specifying and partially adapting Yusri Hazran's concept of 'Druzification', meaning the Israelis' conscious policy of minoritising indigenous populations and encouraging their conscription to the army, the term 'Druzification from below' is proposed to stress the bottom-up character of the Aramean movement in the north of the country as well as the agency of Middle Eastern Christians. My general standpoint is that 'Druzification from below' can be perceived as an adaptive strategy-a survival response to structural political conditions and urbicidal practices of the ethnocratic state and adaptation to external threats.
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This paper attempts to present Sino-Mideast relations in terms of economic interdependence theory. In the 21st century, the People’s Republic of China has become a major player in the Middle East. The foundation for China-Saudi... more
This paper attempts to present Sino-Mideast relations in terms of economic interdependence theory. In the 21st century, the People’s Republic of China has become a major player in the Middle East. The foundation for China-Saudi cooperation is energy: Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and China the world’s largest oil importer. Moreover, China perceives Saudi Arabia as a reliable source of oil and, as a consequence, the energy cooperation between the two countries has resulted in significant economic and trade cooperation.
However, due to its friendly economic and strategic partnership with Iran – Saudi Arabia’s
enemy – China is walking a political tightrope in the Middle East while trying to ensure the
diversification of its energy sources.
The paper argues that China’s military does not have close relations with Saudi Arabia’s
armed forces; the Kingdom relies almost entirely on arms imported from the USA. Both
China and the USA want to preserve Saudi Arabia’s security and stability. Thus, China’s
engagement in the Middle East has not been seen as undermining the United States’ interests in the region. On the contrary, Sino-Mideast relations appear to be dependent upon US involvement. It is unlikely that in the immediate future China and the United States will actively compete against each other in the Middle East although this cannot be ruled out in the coming decades. Meanwhile, China continues to skilfully propagate its national interest in the region.
However, due to its friendly economic and strategic partnership with Iran – Saudi Arabia’s
enemy – China is walking a political tightrope in the Middle East while trying to ensure the
diversification of its energy sources.
The paper argues that China’s military does not have close relations with Saudi Arabia’s
armed forces; the Kingdom relies almost entirely on arms imported from the USA. Both
China and the USA want to preserve Saudi Arabia’s security and stability. Thus, China’s
engagement in the Middle East has not been seen as undermining the United States’ interests in the region. On the contrary, Sino-Mideast relations appear to be dependent upon US involvement. It is unlikely that in the immediate future China and the United States will actively compete against each other in the Middle East although this cannot be ruled out in the coming decades. Meanwhile, China continues to skilfully propagate its national interest in the region.
Research Interests:
The paper discusses the modern Aramean national and social identity with special focus on the autoperception of the Aramean diaspora. Basing on the feedback which the author received during the X Symposium Syriacum on her previous work on... more
The paper discusses the modern Aramean national and social identity with special focus on the autoperception of the Aramean diaspora. Basing on the feedback which the author received during the X Symposium Syriacum on her previous work on the modern Assyrian identity, the deeper research into Aramean (Suryoyo) group was made. The same theoretical assumptions were applied, namely moderate constructivism and Benedict Anderson’s definition of “imagined community”, as well as understanding identity as a process rather than a state.
The text consists of three parts. The first shows the emergence of a distinct Aramean identity and outlines complicated relations with the Assyrian brethren. In the second part, the author presents the results of an online survey which was conducted from November 2008 until May 2009 among the group of 306 Arameans. Part three contains a critical analysis of the presented data, inter alia an overview of Aramean websites whose content is emblematic for the construction of “Cyber Aram”.
The paper advances a claim that the centre of the Aramean community life is not in the historical lands of Aram Nahrin (Middle East) but in the diaspora (Western European countries). The religion – belonging to the Syrian Orthodox Church – plays an important role, though the new laic elite educated in the West sometimes opposes the clergy. Traditional culture and lifestyle is not the only option for the young generation. Consequently, assimilation in the diaspora is one of the most serious threats to the Aramean identity.
The text consists of three parts. The first shows the emergence of a distinct Aramean identity and outlines complicated relations with the Assyrian brethren. In the second part, the author presents the results of an online survey which was conducted from November 2008 until May 2009 among the group of 306 Arameans. Part three contains a critical analysis of the presented data, inter alia an overview of Aramean websites whose content is emblematic for the construction of “Cyber Aram”.
The paper advances a claim that the centre of the Aramean community life is not in the historical lands of Aram Nahrin (Middle East) but in the diaspora (Western European countries). The religion – belonging to the Syrian Orthodox Church – plays an important role, though the new laic elite educated in the West sometimes opposes the clergy. Traditional culture and lifestyle is not the only option for the young generation. Consequently, assimilation in the diaspora is one of the most serious threats to the Aramean identity.
Research Interests:
This article engages with the material geographies of colonialism in Israel/Palestine by looking at the site-specific cultural activities in Iqrit (Israel), a Christian-Arab village depopulated during the 1948 war in the region. We... more
This article engages with the material geographies of colonialism in Israel/Palestine by looking at the site-specific cultural activities in Iqrit (Israel), a Christian-Arab village depopulated during the 1948 war in the region. We investigate the importance of material infrastructure-and material, bodily encounters with the site-as a basis for the place-based activist memory-work, as well as exposing the ways in which such activities contribute to the advancement of 'the politics of presence', understood as a manifestation of a continuous resilience vis-à-vis the discriminatory policy of the state. Our argumentation focuses on the importance of physical presence in specific geographical areas, shedding light on how place-based activities may contravene the expressed state policy by increasing the fluidity of the territory, creating spaces of contestation in which the traditional understandings of state authority partly dissolve. It also explores how the material reconfigurations of the place, and emotional-bodily investment in it, contribute to the semantic instability of the site, turning the place-based memory-work into a future-oriented project with important political aspirations.
Research Interests: Sociology, Cultural Studies, Cultural Geography, Israel Studies, Politics, and 11 moreMemory Studies, Spatiality (Cultural geography), Argumentation Theory, Settler Colonial Studies, Activism, Spatiality, Place Marketing, New Materialism, Settler colonialism, Cultural Geographies, and Israel Palestine
Research Interests:
This article engages with the material geographies of colonialism in Israel/Palestine by looking at the site-specific cultural activities in Iqrit (Israel), a Christian-Arab village depopulated during the 1948 war in the region. We... more
This article engages with the material geographies of colonialism in Israel/Palestine by looking at the site-specific cultural activities in Iqrit (Israel), a Christian-Arab village depopulated during the 1948 war in the region. We investigate the importance of material infrastructure-and material, bodily encounters with the site-as a basis for the place-based activist memory-work, as well as exposing the ways in which such activities contribute to the advancement of 'the politics of presence', understood as a manifestation of a continuous resilience vis-à-vis the discriminatory policy of the state. Our argumentation focuses on the importance of physical presence in specific geographical areas, shedding light on how place-based activities may contravene the expressed state policy by increasing the fluidity of the territory, creating spaces of contestation in which the traditional understandings of state authority partly dissolve. It also explores how the material reconfigurations of the place, and emotional-bodily investment in it, contribute to the semantic instability of the site, turning the place-based memory-work into a future-oriented project with important political aspirations.
Research Interests: Cultural Studies, Cultural Geography, Israel Studies, Israel/Palestine, Memory Studies, and 9 moreSpatiality (Cultural geography), 'Decolonization' and the politics of settler state/Indigenous relations, Settler Colonial Studies, Activism, Spatiality, Place Marketing, New Materialism, Settler/Indigenous relations, and Settler colonialism
The monograph discusses up-to-date issues concerning the acculturation of a Middle Eastern group in a European country. The book is based on research conducted by the Author in 2014 in the Assyrian/Syriac diaspora in Sweden, within the... more
The monograph discusses up-to-date issues concerning the acculturation of a Middle Eastern group in a European country. The book is based on research conducted by the Author in 2014 in the Assyrian/Syriac diaspora in Sweden, within the framework of the “Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christian Communities in Europe” project. Assyrians/Syriacs (Assyrier/Syrianer) began to arrive in Scandinavia in the late 1960s, fleeing the wars and meagre economic prospects in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Today, they constitute an active diaspora which contributes in various ways to the development of its new homeland and numbers around 150 000 people. The Author describes Swedish migration and integration policies, the history of the Assyrian/Syriac community in the Middle East, the phases and forms of institutionalisation in Sweden, internal dynamics as well as the group’s relations with external actors and its transnational links. One of the main findings of the book is that the ethn...
Research Interests: History, European Studies, Diasporas, International Migration, Ethnic minorities, and 15 moreMigration Studies, Diaspora Studies, Middle Eastern Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Sweden, Minorities, Integration, Religious Minorities, Church and State, Arameans, Christianity in the Middle East, Ethnic Minorities, Neo Assyrians, Syriacs, and Modern Assyrian Studies
This article presents a case study of a Swedish-based NGO, Assyrians Without Borders (AWB), whose priority objective is to help Middle Eastern Christians, mainly Assyrians/Syriacs, in need in their homeland. The paper argues that... more
This article presents a case study of a Swedish-based NGO, Assyrians Without Borders (AWB), whose priority objective is to help Middle Eastern Christians, mainly Assyrians/Syriacs, in need in their homeland. The paper argues that Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden have developed three forms of citizenship – religious, political and democratic. All three forms are transnational and have the potential to challenge the idea of national citizenship as being the dominant model of citizenship. Participating in AWB is understood as practising democratic citizenship, a concept seen as the Swedish ideal of model citizenship. The paper claims that AWB empowers its members and helps them to construct a mutually reinforcing dual Assyrian-Swedish identity.
Research Interests: International Relations, Political Science, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Migration Studies, Syriac Studies, and 9 moreCitizenship and Identity, Syriac Christianity, Sweden, Integration, Middle Eastern Christians, Democracy and Citizenship Education, Role of NGOs in poverty reduction, Modern Assyrian Studies, and Syriac Orthodox Church
... of Islam: An Account of the Massacre of Christians by the Turks in Persia (Philadelphia: Williams Pres, 1918); David F. Andrews ... Arianne Ishaya, 'Class and Ethnicity in Rular California: The Assyrian Community of... more
... of Islam: An Account of the Massacre of Christians by the Turks in Persia (Philadelphia: Williams Pres, 1918); David F. Andrews ... Arianne Ishaya, 'Class and Ethnicity in Rular California: The Assyrian Community of Modesto-Turlock, 1910-1985' (PhD diss., University of California ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: International Relations, Political Science, Middle Eastern History, Syriac Studies, Diaspora Studies, and 9 moreDiaspora and transnationalism, Middle Eastern Christianity, Syriac Christianity, Sweden, Integration, Cultural Assimilation, History of Sweden, Assyrian church of the east, and Syriac Orthodox Church
ABSTRACT Weddings can be seen as ‘rites of passage’ and also as ‘symbolic struggles’ since their glamour appears to be a new indicator of status for many families, especially migrant ones. A mixture of traditional as well as reinvented... more
ABSTRACT Weddings can be seen as ‘rites of passage’ and also as ‘symbolic struggles’ since their glamour appears to be a new indicator of status for many families, especially migrant ones. A mixture of traditional as well as reinvented wedding customs serves a community searching for ethnic identity markers that can help it to embrace all of its descendants. This article presents a case study of how Assyrian/Syriac wedding rituals and marriage traditions that are being performed and transformed in the migratory context of Sweden over the last 50 years. Among the Middle Eastern Christians, who have been emigrating from Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq since the 1960s, and which today numbers 120,000 individuals, marriage is a very serious business – a permanent union between spouses and their respective families. The purpose of the article is to analyse Assyrian/Syriac wedding rituals and to discuss how they have shaped the modern Assyrian/Syriac identity. It also explores how local marriages connect and reconnect migrants of this ethno-religious group(s) and how it differentiates them from their peers in the surrounding Swedish society – religiously, socially and even aesthetically.
Research Interests:
Despite little scholarly attention, Middle Eastern Christian Churches are a well-established element of the European religious landscape. Based on collaborative research, this article examines how three mutual field visits facilitated a... more
Despite little scholarly attention, Middle Eastern Christian Churches are a well-established element of the European religious landscape. Based on collaborative research, this article examines how three mutual field visits facilitated a deeper understanding of the complexity that characterises church establishment and activities among Iraqi, Assyrian/Syriac and Coptic Orthodox Christians in the uk, Sweden and Denmark. Exploring analytical dimensions of space, diversity, size, and minority position we identify three positions of Middle Eastern Christians: in London as the epitome of super-diversity, in Copenhagen as a silenced minority within a minority, and in Södertälje as a visible majority within a minority.
Research Interests:
This article presents a case study of a Swedish-based NGO, Assyrians Without Borders (AWB), whose priority objective is to help Middle Eastern Christians, mainly Assyrians/Syriacs, in need in their homeland. The paper argues that... more
This article presents a case study of a Swedish-based NGO, Assyrians Without Borders (AWB), whose priority objective is to help Middle Eastern Christians, mainly Assyrians/Syriacs, in need in their homeland. The paper argues that Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden have developed three forms of citizenship-religious, political and democratic. All three forms are transnational and have the potential to challenge the idea of national citizenship as being the dominant model of citizenship. Participating in AWB is understood as practising democratic citizenship, a concept seen as the Swedish ideal of model citizenship. The paper claims that AWB empowers its members and helps them to construct a mutually reinforcing dual Assyrian-Swedish identity.
Research Interests: International Relations, Political Science, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Migration Studies, Syriac Studies, and 9 moreCitizenship and Identity, Syriac Christianity, Sweden, Integration, Middle Eastern Christians, Democracy and Citizenship Education, Role of NGOs in poverty reduction, Modern Assyrian Studies, and Syriac Orthodox Church
Originating from Turkey, Syria and Iraq, Assyrians/Syriacs started to migrate to Scandinavia in the late 1960s and are presently the largest Middle Eastern Christian ethnic community in Sweden. Despite generally close relations between... more
Originating from Turkey, Syria and Iraq, Assyrians/Syriacs started to migrate to Scandinavia in the late 1960s and are presently the largest Middle Eastern Christian ethnic community in Sweden. Despite generally close relations between parents and children, there are significant differences between generations with regards to education, language competences, religious practices, traditions, but also opinions on gender equality as well as attitudes towards other communities. The aim of this paper is to analyse some of these differences. The paper is based on findings from fieldwork (40 semi-structured interviews) conducted in Stockholm and Södertälje, Sweden, during 2014. The paper is part of the “Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christian Communities in Europe” project.
Research Interests: Family studies, Middle East Studies, Family, Intergenerational Relationships, Middle Eastern Studies, and 10 moreDiaspora Studies, Middle Eastern Christianity, Assyrians (ancient and modern), Sweden, Imigration, Arameans, Intergenerational Relations, Middle Eastern Christians, Chaldean Assyrians Christian History and International Relations, and Syriacs
Turkey, [in:] Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, ed. Mark A. Lamport, Lanham-Boulder-New York-London 2018, pp. 812-816.
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Jordan, [in:] Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, ed. Mark A. Lamport, Lanham-Boulder-New York-London 2018, pp. 419-422.
Research Interests:
Weddings can be seen as ‘rites of passage’ and also as ‘symbolic struggles’ since their glamour appears to be a new indicator of status for many families, especially migrant ones. A mixture of traditional as well as reinvented wedding... more
Weddings can be seen as ‘rites of passage’ and also as ‘symbolic
struggles’ since their glamour appears to be a new indicator of
status for many families, especially migrant ones. A mixture of
traditional as well as reinvented wedding customs serves a
community searching for ethnic identity markers that can help it
to embrace all of its descendants. This article presents a case
study of how Assyrian/Syriac wedding rituals and marriage
traditions that are being performed and transformed in the
migratory context of Sweden over the last 50 years. Among the
Middle Eastern Christians, who have been emigrating from Turkey,
Syria, Lebanon and Iraq since the 1960s, and which today
numbers 120,000 individuals, marriage is a very serious business –
a permanent union between spouses and their respective families.
The purpose of the article is to analyse Assyrian/Syriac wedding
rituals and to discuss how they have shaped the modern Assyrian/
Syriac identity. It also explores how local marriages connect and
reconnect migrants of this ethno-religious group(s) and how it
differentiates them from their peers in the surrounding Swedish
society – religiously, socially and even aesthetically.
struggles’ since their glamour appears to be a new indicator of
status for many families, especially migrant ones. A mixture of
traditional as well as reinvented wedding customs serves a
community searching for ethnic identity markers that can help it
to embrace all of its descendants. This article presents a case
study of how Assyrian/Syriac wedding rituals and marriage
traditions that are being performed and transformed in the
migratory context of Sweden over the last 50 years. Among the
Middle Eastern Christians, who have been emigrating from Turkey,
Syria, Lebanon and Iraq since the 1960s, and which today
numbers 120,000 individuals, marriage is a very serious business –
a permanent union between spouses and their respective families.
The purpose of the article is to analyse Assyrian/Syriac wedding
rituals and to discuss how they have shaped the modern Assyrian/
Syriac identity. It also explores how local marriages connect and
reconnect migrants of this ethno-religious group(s) and how it
differentiates them from their peers in the surrounding Swedish
society – religiously, socially and even aesthetically.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Aram-Nahrin, also known as Mesopotamia by the Greeks, is the homeland of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. The group, once having a strong ethno-religious identity based on the Christian faith, Aramaic language and... more
Aram-Nahrin, also known as Mesopotamia by the Greeks, is the homeland of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. The group, once having a strong ethno-religious identity based on the Christian faith, Aramaic language and residence in ancient lands, is undergoing a process of national identity formation. Adherents of the Oriental Churches call themselves Assyrians, Arameans, Syrians/Syriacs, Chaldeans or use the word from their mother tongue ‘Suryoye.’ The decision depends on the ideological choice, namely whether or not Assyrianism - the belief of being the heirs of the Assyrian Empire - is embraced. Due to the Seyfo massacre during World War I, as well as suffering numerous difficulties in the countries of their birth (Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey), many Suryoye emigrated, forming a diaspora. The members of this dispersed community tend to develop complex identities as they work towards integration into the receiving societies. The chapter consists of four parts. The first presents general patterns of migration and the settlement of the Suryoye community, underlining the factors which have contributed to the social and economic success of the group. In the second part, the author compares some characteristics of Swedish, German, Brazilian and Ukrainian sub-diasporas in which she had the opportunity to conduct in-depth interviews. The third part focuses on the role of the Internet as one of the tools of shaping the Suryoye diasporic identity (the phenomena of Cyber Assyria and Cyber Aram). The last part discusses the threat of assimilation and the attempts to counter it.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Edited volume entitled "Problems of the Arab-Muslim World: Past and Present" (Lodz 2018, pp. 145) consits of 8 chapters written by young Polish scholars specialising in the Middle East & North Africa studies.