Syrian higher education and social capital in times of conflict. (English)

This study explores the role of higher education (HE) in fostering social capital as means of building sustainable peace in Syria, with a particular focus on higher education institutions (HEIs) in northeast Syria. Given the current highly politicised state of HEIs, this qualitative study argues that those in the northeast are currently failing to embrace this potential role to help develop social capital as a means of building a sustainable peace. These universities currently have no outward facing local community programmes, strategic or otherwise, in addition to outdated curricula and teaching practices.