Vital Conjunctures in Compound Crises: Conceptualising Young People’s Education Trajectories in Protracted Displacement in Jordan and Lebanon

Abstract

This paper emerges out of a study with 293 young people (Syrians, Palestinians and nationals) living in contexts of compound crises and protracted displacement in Jordan and Lebanon. In the paper, we discuss how young people’s education trajectories can be conceptualised, operationalised and studied. We synthesise different approaches to understanding and analysing such trajectories into a framework that captures the intricate and multi-directional ways that young people navigate towards uncertain futures. The framework on multi-directional trajectories takes its starting point from an understanding of Victoria Browne’s ‘lived time’, captured through how different temporalities come together in one person’s story. After presenting our framework and the context in the first part of the paper, the second part applies the framework to analyse the ‘vital conjuncture’ of leaving education. By analysing leaving education as lived time, we create nuanced insights into how this vital conjuncture can be understood to shape young peoples’ trajectories. In conclusion, we discuss the value of understanding trajectories as lived time by illuminating how young people experience and navigate their education trajectories.

Introduction to Crises, (Im)mobilities and Young Life Trajectories

“…The Special Issue addresses the pervasive nature of crises across diverse geographical locations in Africa (Jones, Pincock, Alheiwidi and Yadete; Ethiopia and Jordan), South Asia (Khan 2021;Nepal), Southeast Asia (Torok and Ball 2021;Malaysia), the Middle East (Jordan and Brun 2021;Lebanon and Jordan) and Europe (Hunt 2021; Greece) to document similarities and highlight divergences. It also points out their transnational nature, for instance, the movement of Sub-Saharan African migrants across European borders (Vuilleumier 2021).…”

“…For instance, these papers show how the recent coronavirus pandemic resulted in an acute crisis that exacerbated ongoing crises of displacement and economic precarity. Other papers capture a layering of "everyday" crises over time in protracted displacement such as disruptions to education (Jordan and Brun 2021), employment trajectories (Vuilleumier 2021) and opportunities to forge positive identities (Torok and Ball 2021).…”