eng Science and Education Publishing World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 2474-1434 2019-04-24 5 1 46 54 10.12691/wjssh-5-1-7 WJSSH2019517 article Jan Frauen 25520130154419@stu.xmu.edu.cn 1 School of International Relations, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China When the Arab Spring turned into an Arabian nightmare in 2015, a stunning number of more than 4 million Syrians fled their war-torn state. While the majority of these refugees relocated in neighboring countries at first, the ultimate goal for many was to reach eventually. This desire was especially strong among younger dispelled individuals from higher educational backgrounds due to the lack of opportunity in their preliminary host countries. This article employs a Bourdieuian reading of the potential of these relocated migrants in in terms of habitus and contrasts the expectations of refugees in 2015 with their social reality in 2019. Analyzing UNHCR and BAMF data as well as NGO research and independent studies, it is concluded that the ongoing refusal of European governments to grant opportunities to migrants who will not leave any time soon is a waste of economic and intellectual capital on Bourdieuian terms. http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjssh/5/1/7/wjssh-5-1-7.pdf migration immigration Syria refugees Bourdieu habitus 2015 refugee crisis migration to Europe