Paper short abstract:

This article uses digital visual productions of refugees to analyse the human experience of displacement throughout its seven different stages as explained by Baker.

Paper long abstract:

While digital humanities and the study of the Impact of New Technology on the Arts is a recent main path on the anthropological research, the analysis of refugee experiences through this perspective seems a little ignored. Being aware of the fact that mobile phones especially were the main companions of refugees during their displacement experience, the digitally produced forms of expression is a basic data to understand the different dimensions of Refugeeness.

In this work I adopt the theory presented by Baker in his book "the Psychological problems of refugees" where he has divided refugee experience into the following stages: Period of being threatened, Making decision on refuge, While refuging, Reaching the safe place, Experiences in the refugee camp, Welcome in the acceptant country and finally the Resettlement stage. The collected digital visual productions shared by Syrian refugees on the social platforms is the principal data that had been categorized according to the previously mentioned stages of the refugee experience process. it is important to mention that the use of the digital visual expressions in this frame should be categorized as a form of cultural production

This article aims to present an analysis of the changing state of the personal and collective memory of refugees in each of seven stages of the refugee experience, explaining how the digital visual productions reflects specific sight of the refugee's identity. The work does, exploit the collected data to present a reading of Syrian refugees' memory and identity throughout the displacement experience.