Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to generate insight into the experiences of Syrian academics in exile in Turkey; and second, to explore approaches to collaboration and community building among academics in exile and with counterparts in the international academic community. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a hybrid visual-autobiographical narrative methodology, embedded within a large group process (LGP) design. Findings Findings are presented in two phases: the first phase presents a thematic analysis of narrative data, revealing the common and divergent experiences of 12 exiled academics. The second phase presents a reflective evaluation of undertaking the LGP and its implications for community building and sustaining Syrian academia in exile. Research limitations/implications While this is a qualitative study with a small participant group, and therefore does not provide a basis for statistical generalisation, it offers rich insight into Syrian academics’ lived experiences of exile, and into strategies implemented to support the Syrian academic community in exile. Practical implications The study has practical implications for academic development in the contexts of conflict and exile; community building among dispersed academic communities; educational interventions by international NGOs and the international academic community; and group process design. Originality/value The study makes an original contribution to the limited literature on post-2011 Syrian higher education by giving voice to a community of exiled academics, and by critically evaluating a strategic initiative for supporting and sustaining Syrian academia. This represents significant, transferable insight for comparable contexts.

中文翻译：

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“我们还在这里”：叙利亚流亡学者的故事

目的本文的目的是双重的：首先，深入了解叙利亚流亡土耳其学者的经验；第二，探索流亡学者之间以及与国际学术界同行的合作与社区建设方法。设计/方法/方法本研究采用了一种混合的视觉自传叙事方法，并嵌入到大型团队流程（LGP）设计中。调查结果分为两个阶段：第一阶段是对叙事数据进行专题分析，揭示了12名流亡学者的共同经历和不同经历。第二阶段是对开展LGP及其对社区建设和维持叙利亚流亡叙利亚学术界的影响的反思。研究的局限性/含义虽然这是一项定性研究，参与者人数很少，因此没有为统计概括提供基础，但它为叙利亚学者的流亡生活以及为支持叙利亚学术界而实施的战略提供了丰富的见解。流亡。实际意义该研究对冲突和流亡背景下的学术发展具有实际意义。分散的学术社区之间的社区建设；国际非政府组织和国际学术界的教育干预；和分组流程设计。独创性/价值该研究通过向流亡学者社区发出声音，为2011年后叙利亚高等教育的有限文献做出了原创性贡献，通过批判性地评估支持和维持叙利亚学术界的战略举措。对于可比较的上下文，这代表了重要的，可转移的见解。