Contemporary Refugee Literature

Sercan Hamza Bağlama holds a PhD from Durham University, UK, and is currently an Associate Professor of English Literature at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Türkiye. His research focuses on Refugee Studies, Postcolonial Literatures, and Political Philosophy.

“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 Hamza’s 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 Hamid’s Exit West to lesser-known works like Abawi’s 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. Bağlama’s sharp analysis of refugee narratives from across the globe challenges dominant discourses and highlights storytelling’s 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“Bağlama 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 Hamza’s 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

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: Silent Stories Unveiled: Syrian Refugee Narratives in Contemporary LiteratureChapter 1: Escape from Aleppo by N. H. SenzaiChapter 2. A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia AbawiChapter 3. Refugee by Alan GratzChapter 4. The Beeker of Aleppo by Christy LefteriChapter 5. Sea Prayer by Khaled HosseiniPart II: Crossing Continents: Exploring Refugee Narratives from Around the WorldChapter 6. Refugee Boy by Benjamin ZephaniahChapter 7. Little Bee by Chris CleaveChapter 8. What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave EggersChapter 9. Exit West by Mohsin HamidChapter 10. In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio GedaConclusionIndex