Columbu, A. and Zuntz, A. 2026. Syria’s many local-s: Diaspora formation and humanitarian action among Syrians in Manchester. Middle East Critique. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2026.2650582
| Title | Syria’s many local-s: Diaspora formation and humanitarian action among Syrians in Manchester |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Columbu, A. and Zuntz, A. |
| Abstract | Syrian-led humanitarianism since 2011 has been explored through the lenses of mass displacement, social media, personal networks, and its integration into the international humanitarian system. Comparative studies have found that differential opportunity structures in countries in the Global North and in the Middle East explain Syrian-led civil society organisations’ varying trajectories. By contrast, this article takes a narrower case study approach, drawing on interview and ethnographic data to explore the sociohistorical context in Manchester that gave rise to Action for Humanity (AH), the United Kingdom’s biggest Syria-focused aid organisation. Putting into conversation theory from Diaspora, Middle Eastern, and Humanitarian Studies, we argue that the Middle East’s transregionalisms go hand in hand with growing roots. AH’s practices are anchored in its diaspora’s specific migration history and translocal networks, and subject to change, as more Syrians keep arriving. We analyse how one Syrian diaspora has rallied around humanitarian activities and, conversely, been reproduced through volunteering and donating. AH brand the organisation as “Syrian” to international donors keen on “localising aid”, while facilitating British-Syrians’ remote support for their homeland. We attend to digital, affective, and embodied processes of diaspora formation among Manchester’s Syrians, as AH mobilises, and operates, across Syria’s multiple “local-s”. |
| Keywords | Syrian-led humanitarianism, diaspora, localisation of aid, local, Global Middle East |
| Journal | Middle East Critique |
| ISSN | 1943-6149 |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2026.2650582 |
| Web address (URL) | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19436149.2026.2650582 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 10 Apr 2026 |