Syrian Research Prioritizes Community Voices & Justice

Why this is here: The research explicitly connects the under-ascertainment of mortality rates among Syrian IDPs to colonial legacies in data collection, demonstrating how power imbalances can literally erase people from official records.

Researchers are actively working to shift the focus of humanitarian and public health studies in Syria, centering the lived experiences and priorities of those affected by conflict. A new research portfolio from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine applies decolonial approaches to understand the impacts of conflict and displacement on Syrian women and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The research, based on four studies utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods, explores themes like gendered vulnerability, mortality rates, vaccine hesitancy, and community responses to COVID-19 – all examined within the complex socio-political landscape of Syria. This work moves beyond simply gathering data to actively challenging dominant research narratives and acknowledging the lasting impact of colonial power structures on knowledge production.

The portfolio emphasizes “scholar-activism,” a method that prioritizes bridging academic research with the practical needs of the communities involved, rather than solely serving institutional interests. It advocates for trauma-informed and justice-oriented research that is deeply rooted in local contexts and centers community-defined priorities.