Social Identity Theory and Internal Displacement: A Longitudinal Case Study of Iraqi Christians in Kurdistan

This paper uses an empirical longitudinal study of Iraqi Christian IDPs to explore how internal displacement influences the construction of personal identity.

Published on October 12, 2023

Arianna Abdul-Nour | all, IDPs, Conflict, Social Science, Middle East

Iraq. Churches in Mosul after the conflict. 2022 © Arianna Abdul-Nour

Unlike refugees who have crossed a border and are, therefore, protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention, internally displaced people do not have a dedicated international regime at the global level. The fact they remain within the geographical parameters of their country, alongside the international community’s inaction for fear of violating national sovereignty, means that no formal protection of, or accountability for, this group has been formulated. In the context of the unremitting crisis of internal displacement, this empirical longitudinal study draws attention to the critically inadequate responses to the problem of chronic displacement. Specifically, this study extends social identity theory (SIT) to look at first-hand accounts of the displacement in order to frame the effects of liminality in hyphenated spaces on the construction of personal identity. This thesis makes the case for comprehensive monitoring and assessment mechanisms that prudently oversee viable and durable solutions to displacement in order to foster positive identities.

KEYWORDS: Christianity; IDP; Iraq; persecution; protracted displacement; social identity theory; UNHCR

Arianna is a humanitarian professional pursuing a career in international development and human rights research. She has broad experience in NGO, legal and governmental sectors (in the UK and Canada) and studied International Relations in England, Norway and France. Arianna is co-head delegate to COP28 with the Future Leaders Network, as well as a volunteer teaching English to refugees in a camp in Azraq, Jordan.

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