Kinan Noah
Postgraduate Researcher
Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
About me:
I am an Al-Qasimi PhD researcher at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) at the University of Exeter. My research interests revolve around identity representations in autobiographical narratives of forced migrants and the impact of the forced migration experience on co-constructing "narrative identity".
I received an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Klagenfurt, Austria, focusing on specific aspects of identity in narratives of Syrian forced migrants. I obtained a postgraduate Diploma in Pedagogy and a BA in English Language and Literature at Tishreen University, Syria.
My vigorous work-related experience includes being a high-school English teacher and liaison officer with the United Nations in Syria. While living in Austria, in addition to tutoring at the English department at the University of Klagenfurt and teaching Arabic and English at the local Volkshochschule (community college), I was an active volunteer with a local NGO “Verein Miteinander” and also a co-leader of program “More”, a project of the Austrian Student Union (ÖH).
Research groups:
Centre for Middle East Politics
Research Project:
My research project inspects Syrian refugees’ identity construction as it is highlighted in and through their autobiographical narratives in order to reach to, as much as possible, a profound understanding of how individual (and collective) discursive identity is navigated in the context of forced migration.
The aim of my project is threefold. The first goal takes Syrian refugees’ personal autobiographies as a point of departure, asking: What are the prevalent themes and aspects of identity that Syrian refugees topicalize in their personal narratives? The second aim is to consider the dynamics of recurrent aspects of identity as intertwined with narrative identity asking: What are the spatiotemporal agentive features which are most salient in the co-construction of narrative identity in Syrian refugees’ autobiographies? Highlighting narrative identity and its features, as shown in and through narratives, will increase the possibilities of reaching a better understanding of the drastic changes that Syrian refugees have gone through. Drawing on the first and second research question, the third aim is to depict collective characteristics of discursive identity representations of Syrian refugees through answering: How do individual and collective identity facets impact Syrian refugees’ identity representations?
Research Supervisory team:
Research Wider Research Interests:
Forced Migration Studies
Refugees' identity representations
Autobiography
Narrative identity
Narrative ecology
Narrative analysis
Professional Development:
2019-09-00
Conferences/Symposiums-AMLI 2
“Everyone wants to work and be independent” - Identity Construction in
Autobiographical Narratives of Syrian Forced Migrants. Noah, K., & Graf, E. (2019). Presentation at AMLI 2. University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, September 19-21.
2019-06-00
Conferences/Symposiums-IMISCOE 16
‘This is my story.’ Insights into Syrian Forced Migrants’ Narratives. Noah, K., & Graf, E. (2019). Presentation at IMISCOE 2019. Malmö University, Sweden, June 26-28.
2019-06-00
Conferences/Symposiums-TMC 2019
“We know we will face challenges” - Narratives of Syrian Forced Migrants: Topicalized Themes and Navigated Identities. Noah, K., & Graf, E. (2019). Presentation at TMC 2019. University of Bari, Italy, June 18-20.
2018-07-00
Graduate School Skills Workshops-Cultures, Migrations, Borders
Cultures, Migrations, Borders – Seventh International
Postgraduate Summer School, Lesvos, Greece
2017-12-00
Conferences/Symposiums-43. -sterreichische Linguistiktagung (-LT)
The Forgotten Pink Tringle. Noah, K. (2017). Presentation at 43.
Österreichische Linguistiktagung (ÖLT) 2017. University of Klagenfurt, Austria, December 9.
2016-08-00
Graduate School Skills Workshops-European Forum Alpbach
European Forum Alpbach 2016, Alpbach, Austria
2016-08-00
Invited talk-The Syrian Crisis
European Forum Alpbach, Austria
2016-01-00
Invited talk-Media and Migration in Syria
Invited joint-talk with H. Noah at the Academy of Fine Art. University of Vienna, Austria
