The Humanizing Potencial of Narratives: An Analysis of Interaction in the Project Syrian Americans

This paper proposes a study about the humanizing potential of narratives in the context of the Syrian diaspora through an analysis of users' interactions in the project "Syrian Americans". This initiative, a partnership between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Humans of New York (HONY), was created in 2015 during the refugee crisis. The analysis of users' comments about the narratives found that the refugees' stories had an impact on the public's perception of forced displacement. The messages highlighted two aspects of these narratives that were important to the readers: the diversity of narrators and the plurality of topics discussed. Because of these elements, the project's stories worked as a way of intercultural contact capable of humanizing the refugees and connecting different social groups.