Contemporary Refugee Literature is a capacious, penetrating, and astute analysis of the diverse refugee experiences captured in contemporary literature. While emphasizing the Syrian experience, it scrutinizes refugee stories from the 1970s Vietnam to the contemporary texts from Afghanistan, West Africa, and Syria. It also strategically situates refugee literature in the larger context of postcolonial studies. This book is an essential contribution to refugee literature studies that will continue to proliferate in the coming decades.
Abdul JanMohamed, Professor Emeritus, UC, Berkeley.
Sercan Hamzas scholarly study of refugee narratives in English (and occasional translated work) is an important and timely contribution to a growing field of study. Sercan provides a compelling conceptual rationale for an exploration of a geographically diverse range of fictions, from bestsellers such as Hamids Exit West to lesser-known works like Abawis Land of Permanent Goodbyes, tracing points of contact but refusing the temptation to homogenise the experience of displacement. Contemporary Refugee Literature: Syria and Beyond is a nuanced, balanced, and sensitive work.
Peter Sloane, author of From Rupture to Refuge: The Coordinates of 21st Century Fiction and Life Writing (Liverpool UP 2025).
Insightful and powerful. Contemporary Refugee Literature: Syria and Beyond unpacks how literature captures the realities of displacement, identity, and resilience. Balamas sharp analysis of refugee narratives from across the globe challenges dominant discourses and highlights storytellings role in advocating for justice. A must-read for anyone committed to understanding sociology and narrations of refugeeship in the modern era.
Mustafa F Özbilgin, Professor, Brunel University of London
Balama provides a useful and insightful overview of contemporary refugee narratives, particularly the (post)colonial histories and discourses that underpin present-day displacement. This compelling book will aid readers in understanding how literature shapes and is shaped by global migration and humanitarian crises.
Vinh Nguyen, author of Lived Refuge: Gratitude, Resentment, Resilience
Sercan Hamzas Contemporary Refugee Literature: Syria and Beyond brings much needed depth to the shallow theoretical pool on which many studies of refugee writing have so far drawn. By arrogating the insights and energy of postcolonial theory into the field of contemporary refugee narratives, the book helps clear a path for the future politics of literary studies of displacement.
Hadji Bakara, PhD, University of Michigan
