AbstractsSociology

This is a report studying how young Syrian male refugees in Denmark position themselves, after life in encampment, during the following three year period of integration. The report presents, in a chronological order, tracing the refugees from their past positions in Syria and asylum camps, to their present position after receiving residence and towards their hopes for the future. Through the chronological analysis the report will present how the young men experience the transition from refugee to residents in Denmark. The analysis is based on observations and interviews with three young refugees, who have received their residence permission and is navigating towards a future position during the integration period. The report is grounded in the idea that refugees experience a prolonged liminal phase during their lives after encampment. The report consider three theoretical concepts as important tools to understand the transition from refugee to resident, these are: Liminality, Waiting and Downward Social Mobility. The main conclusions found in the reports are that the young men experience a downward social mobility as they express that they start their lives from zero, after the transition. The liminal phase gets prolonged after the encampment, but during encampment the liminality had the effect of almost petrifying the young men, while it during the period of integration positioned the young men in a position of movement.