Identity development of Assyrian/Syriac youth: Narratives of becoming a self

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the narrative identities of a group of Assyrian/Syriac youth, in particular, to investigate the role of their intergenerational narratives on their narrative identities. Accordingly, interviews were conducted with eight male Assyrian/Syriac young people and the families of four of them who lived in Mardin, Turkey. The narratives of each participant were examined through a holistic approach, analyzing their lives in the context of their personal and intergenerational narratives throughout their lifelines. In the analysis, the turning points of individuals are depicted on the figures, and three lifeline figures were mapped. Findings indicated that although the participants lived under similar living conditions and grew up in the same area, they each narrated their identities differently. For example, one participant described his identity as victimic, communion and burden, while another participant described his identity as agentic, communion, and benefit, and yet another narrated his identity as agentic, agency, and benefit. The individual analysis that emerged in the narratives of all participants was discussed in the context of the literature on identity and narrative identity.