film: Liminal
people who are displaced live in liminal spaces. millions of people in and from Syria were displaced from places they once called home. this short film opens a window to the myriad feelings experienced by several Syrians. (2026)
22 years of story sharing & collective action
sharq.org is an ever-evolving series of social impact initiatives rooted in 2004 and grounded in story sharing and collective action. we've published magazines, toolkits and policy papers, produced films, theatre and oral history collections, hosted workshops, performances and exhibitions, interviewed and amplified hundreds of people, and collaborated with hundreds more. our objective has remained the same throughout each and every year and initiative: the elimination of othering and the promotion of pluralism.
why we document stories
AUG 2021 - being able to share stories of lived experiences gives storytellers a sense of ownership and control and can be very empowering. it also promotes self-reflection and critical thinking.
Vocabulary of Values
a series of collectively created explorations of positive impact values and principled behaviours (2025-ongoing)
Tarikhi story archive
Tarikhi (Arabic for ‘my history’) is an Arab/ic oral history archive. it houses 500 interviews conducted, recorded, and documented by sharq.org between 2012 and 2022, at a time when previously censored and silenced voices found strength through collective action and forged microphones from new opportunities to be heard. (2012-ongoing)
religious identity, activism and conversion
an oral history training programme delivered in Arabic to civil society actors who where then mentored in the production of story collections on topics related to religious identity. (2021-22)
conflict, migration and identity
a collection of 60 interviews with Syrians who remained in Syria during the years of turmoil and intense government oppression following the 2011 revolution and those who migrated to Europe asked to reflect on the impact of conflict and migration on identity and to explore the impact of their changing identity on belonging, integration, community and engagement. (2021)
multi religious and ethnic cooperation
an oral history collection of 22 stories highlights the value and feasibility of multi-religious and multi-ethnic cooperation (2020)
Stories of Belonging
this collection of over fifty audio recorded stories told by Syrian (and some Iraqi) migrants in Europe sheds light on the experiences and factors that help nurture belonging among individuals displaced from their homeland. (2020)
peaceful coexistence in the diaspora
this oral history collection includes over 50 interviews with established residents and Syrian migrants in six different countries and was produced to support an exploration of the factors that impact integration and peaceful coexistence. (2019)