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TEMPLATE bios

Irina Isaakyan

Senior Research Fellow
EducationPhD, University of Edinburgh

Irina is a qualitative interpretive sociologist who studies high-skill and elite migrations, migrant agency and integration, the work of memory and identity, symbolic interaction, and formation of diasporas. Through the prism of symbolic interactionism and interpretive biographic research, her work challenges traditional understandings of integration and agency by looking into their intersectionality and having a particular focus on global elite and transnational migrants such as artists and athletes.

Originally from Russia, Irina has studied and worked globally, including academic institutions in Russia, Scotland, Italy and North America. For many years, she has been Associate Editor for the Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies and the Managing Editor of the IMISCOE-Springer Research Series.

Recent Publication 

Isaakyan, I. (2026/Forthcoming). ‘Publishing Migration Research: Tips on Publishing a Journal Article’, in R. Zapato-Barrero and D. Vintila (Eds.) Göç Araştırmalarında Yöntemler [How to Do Migration Research (translated into Turkish)]. GAV Perspektif Publishing House.

Isaakyan, I. (2025).  (excel file) ‘Global elite migrations’ (external link) , in L. Oso (Ed). Elgar Encyclopedia of Migration. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Isaakyan, I. (2024). Global Elite Migrations (external link) . IMISCOE-Springer.

Isaakyan, I. (2024). ‘Publishing Migration Research: Tips on Publishing a Journal Article’, in R. Zapato-Barrero and D. Vintila (Eds.) How to Do Migration Research, Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/how-to-do-migration-research-9781035306848.html (external link) .

Isaakyan, I. (2023). ‘Elite migrations’, in A. Triandafyllidou (Ed.) Routledge Handbook of Immigration and Refugee Studies (2nd Edition) (external link) . London & New York: Routledge. Pp. 116-125.

Isaakyan, I., Baglioni, S., & Triandafyllidou, A. (2023). The ‘back-stepper’and the ‘career diplomat’: turning points of labour market integration.  Migrants and Refugees in Europe: Work Integration in Comparative Perspective (external link) , 120.

Isaakyan, I. (2022). Temporariness management by elite migrant-artists (external link) . Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 48(16), 3860–3878. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2022.2028351

Isaakyan, I., Triandafyllidou, A., & Baglioni, S. (2023). Immigrant and Asylum Seekers Labour Market Integration upon Arrival: NowHereLand. (external link)  (p. 231). Springer Nature.

Isaakyan, I., & Triandafyllidou, A. (2021). “Enchanted with Europe”: Family Migration and European Law on Labour-Market Integration (external link) . In Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers’ Integration in European Labour Markets: A Comparative Approach on Legal Barriers and Enablers (pp. 95-113). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Triandafyllidou, A. (2019) Transatlantic repatriation: Stigma management of second-generation Italian and Greek American women ‘returning home’, external link (external link) , European Journal of Cultural Studies.