Transnationalism and the Syrian Migrant Community: The Case of the 1925 Syrian Revolt

Authors

  • Reem Bailony Agnes Scott College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24847/11i2013.3

Keywords:

transnationalism, Great Syrian Revolt, Syrian Revolt, mahjar, migration, anti-colonialism, New York City, Syrian immigrants, Lebanese, mahjar press, Benedict Anderson, diaspora, trans-border, League of Nations

Abstract

This article explores how the mahjar press of New York City engaged with the Syrian Revolt of 1925. Building upon Benedict Anderson’s well-known theories of imagined and long-distance nationalisms, as well as more recent debates on transnationalism, this article is part of a larger attempt to geographically decenter the study of the 1925 revolt in order to contribute to a better understanding of the ways in which nationalism and anti-colonialism were negotiated through a dialectical relationship between the homeland and the diaspora. It argues that divergent views of the revolt are better understood by framing its construction in the press in terms of: 1.) an expression of trans-border, and yet particular, loyalties, and 2.) a reflection of the diaspora’s ambiguous place in the new international order set up by the League of Nations.

Author Biography

Reem Bailony, Agnes Scott College

Reem Bailony is a Ph.D. Candidate at UCLA; email: rbailony@gmail.com

Downloads

Published

2021-02-01 — Updated on 2022-01-31

Issue

Section

Articles