FACULTY
Prof. Divya Balan
Dr. Divya Balan is an Assistant Professor of International Studies at the Department of Social Sciences, with over a decade of teaching and research experience. She holds a PhD in European Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, and is UGC-NET qualified in International and Area Studies.
At FLAME University, Dr. Divya teaches courses including Introduction to International Relations, International Relations Theory, Migration and Diaspora, Regional Integration and the European Union, and Forced Migration, Refugees, and Human Security. A passionate educator and committed social researcher, she grounds her teaching in an interdisciplinary and student-centred approach, connecting theoretical perspectives with contemporary global developments. Before joining FLAME University, she held teaching positions as an Assistant Professor (ad hoc) at the Department of Political Science at Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce and Kamala Nehru College, as well as the Department of International Relations at the Central University of Kerala.
Dr. Divya is actively involved in fostering meaningful research partnerships and academic exchange at FLAME University. She serves as the nodal representative for institutional MoUs with the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA) in New Delhi and the International Institute for Migration and Development (IIMAD) in Thiruvananthapuram. She also serves as a Senior Research Fellow at IIMAD and as the Joint Secretary of the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT), a Delhi-based international research and advocacy network. In 2018, she was an International Visiting Fellow at the Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Her academic excellence has also been recognised through several scholarships and research grants, including the Victoria Jubilee Scholarship (2001), the Cullan Scholarship (2001), and the Europe Area Studies Programme Grant (2012).
Dr. Divya is the co-editor of four books: Gender and Migration in the Arabian Gulf (Springer, 2026); The Future of Indian Diplomacy: Exploring Multidisciplinary Lenses (KW Publishers, 2025 & Routledge, 2026); The India Mosaic: Unravelling India’s Built, Culinary, and Artistic Traditions (Excel India Publishers, 2025); and India Entwined: Narratives from Ecological and Economic Frontiers (Excel India Publishers, 2025). Her research has been published in edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals, and she regularly contributes scholarly and public-facing perspectives on migration through English- and Malayalam-language academic and media platforms. Her research interests encompass international and internal migration, migration and refugee governance, the India-Gulf migration corridor, the global Indian diaspora, non-resident Keralites, and refugees in India. Her work brings together policy perspectives and migrants' lived experiences, with a particular focus on the sociocultural, political, environmental, and gendered dimensions of migration.
An active public speaker, Dr. Divya regularly presents her research at national and international conferences, as well as at public forums. Her expertise has also led her to contribute to migration policy consultations—collaborating with both government bodies and civil society organisations—and to conduct Faculty Development Programs (FDPs) and workshops on migration and mobility-related themes.
For more details on Dr. Divya Balan's research and publications, please visit www.linkedin.com/in/dr-divya-balan-6480984b.
EDITED BOOKS
- (2026). Gender and migration in the Arabian Gulf, Springer Singapore, ISBN 978-981-95-5258-0 (Hardcover).
- (2026/2025). The future of Indian diplomacy: Exploring multidisciplinary lenses, Routledge, ISBN: 978-1041331575 (hbk) & KW Publishers Pvt Ltd, ISBN: 978-81-984037-3-5 (pbk).
- (2025). The India mosaic: Unravelling India’s built, culinary, and artistic traditions, Excel India Publishers, ISBN: 978-93-49666-38-2.
- (2025). India entwined: Narratives from ecological and economic frontiers, Excel India Publishers, ISBN: 978-93-49666-70-2.
JOURNAL ARTICLES & BOOK CHAPTERS
AY2026-27
- (2026). The Gulf experience: Home and belonging among Kerala's migrant workers in the Gulf countries, in N. M. Khadar & A. M. Thomas (eds.), Gendered, climatic, and cultural pathways of migration: A global perspective, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, ISBN 978-1-0364-7628-1.
AY2025-26
- (2025). Indians in the lion city: Congruity and fissures between ‘old’ Singaporean Indians and ‘new’ Indian expat professionals, in S. I. Rajan (ed), The Palgrave handbook of Indian migrants to South East Asia, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-981-96-4203-8, pp. 269-281.
- (2025). Strengthening the India-EU migration corridor: The way forward, in N. Inamdar, P. V. Poojary, & P. Shetty (eds.), Contours of India-EU engagements: Multiplicity of experiences, Routledge, ISBN: 9781032825588, pp. 424-446.
AY2024-25
- (2024). Climate-induced migration to India’s megacities: Exploring questions of migrant inclusivity in mitigation strategies (co-authored), Indian Journal of Politics and International Relations (UGC-CARE List), 17(1), ISSN 0973-5011, pp. 215-229.
AY 2022-23
- (2022). COVID-19 and the interstate migrant crisis in India: Key lessons to learn, in L. Pulikkalakath & Shahina Mol A.K. (eds.), Migrants and displaced amid COVID-19: Issues, challenges and policy options, Adroit Publishers, ISBN 978-81-87393-986, pp. 1-17.
AY 2021-22
- (2022). Life of Sri Lankan refugee women in the camps of Tamil Nadu (co-authored), in S. I. Rajan (ed.), The Routledge handbook of refugees in India, Routledge, ISBN: 978-1-032-16057-3 (pbk), pp. 642-654.
AY 2020-2021
- (2021). Book review - Dharma in America: A short history of Hindu-Jain diaspora. South Asian Diaspora (Q1), 13(2), 221-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/19438192.2021.1909906
- (2020). Re-reading the banyan tree analogy: Everyday life and identity of Indian diaspora in Britain, in R. Gowricharn (ed.), Shifting transnational bonding in Indian diaspora, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-367-72335-4, pp. 17-35.
AY 2018-19
- (2018). Towards a digitally empowered society: The case of Digital India Programme, in C. Vinodan (ed.), Governance and development challenges in India, New Century Publishers, ISBN 978-81-7708-445-0, pp. 69-82.
- (2018). International Relations: A historical perspective, in S. Tripathi (ed.), International Relations: theories and approaches, Worldview Publications, ISBN 978-93822-67-324, pp.16-30.
AY 2014-15
- (2015). Indian immigrants in Britain: Features of diasporic life post-2000s, Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism Research Monograph Series, No. 6. ISSN 2454-3675.
- (2014). Multiculturalism as a policy of integration in Britain, in R. K. Jain (ed.), Multiculturalism in India and Europe, Aakar Books, ISBN 978-93-5002-279-5, pp. 168-182.
AY 2013-14
- (2013). Linking counter-terrorism strategies with migration policies: A puzzling case of post 9/11 Britain. Journal of Polity and Society (UGC-CARE List), 5(1/2), 58-75. ISSN 0976-0210.
- (2013). Towards a common EU immigration policy: An analysis of post-Lisbon treaty developments. Holistic Thought, 12(1/2), 81-96. ISSN 0975-363.
POLICY BRIEFS
AY 2023-24
- (2023). Indians in the Gulf: The migration question and the way forward (co-authored), GLMM Policy Brief, No. 4, Gulf Labour Markets, Migration, and Population (GLMM) Programme.
- (2023). A reflection on India-EU strategic partnership on migration and mobility, in Building the future of EU-India strategic partnership: Between trade, technology, security and China, ORCA Special Issue 1, co-published with Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) Business Council, pp. 84-94.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ARTICLES
AY 2026-27
- (2026, July 5). Kerala elderly welfare needs a state-built care system, Policy Circle.
AY 2025-26
- (2026, March 27). Opinion: The quiet toll of conflict on Indian migrants in the Gulf, Telangana Today.
- (2026, March 26). India’s migration governance is flying blind over the Gulf (co-authored), Frontline.
- (2026, January 5). Kerala must take migrants’ rights seriously, The Times of India.
- (2026, June 10). Watching Aadujeevitham amid times of conflict: A desolate tale of many migrant goat lives, Pravasi Setu Foundation.
AY 2024-25
- (2024, August 9). Survey of Migrant Workers Must for Conducive Policies, The Times of India.
AY 2023-24
- (2024, June 20). Opinion: We have collectively failed generations of migrants to Gulf nations, The Federal.
- (2024, May 3). Opinion: Barely any ‘nyay’ or ‘guarantee’ for NRIs, Telangana Today.
- (2024, April 7). Leaving NRI voters behind, Telangana Today (Rewind).
- (2024, April 1). Recounting the tales of departures: A survey of expatriate literature from Kerala, Pravasi Pulse.
- (2024, March 11). Opinion: When dreams turn deadly, Telangana Today.
- (2023, July 11). Migration is key to optimising gains of a rising workforce, The Times of India.
AY 2021-22
- (2022, June 20). A reflection on this World Refugee Day!, The Migration News.
- (2022, June 13). The trouble with Europe outsourcing asylum, Gateway House Newsletter, 11(24).
- (2022, April 7). Ukrainian refugees: EU rhetoric or paradigm shift?, Gateway House Newsletter, 11(14).
- (2022, March 8). At the crossroads: COVID-19 and the ordeals of India’s Gulf migrants, The AIDEM.
- (2022, February 13). Amid challenges, Malayalam radio makes strides in the Gulf, The Times of India.
AY 2020-2021
- (2021, June 1). Mobile women without mobile phones: Indian domestic workers in the Gulf, Routed: Mobility & (Im)mobility Magazine.
- (2021, June 18). There are 100,000 ‘irregular’ Indian immigrants in the UK – but repatriating them home isn’t easy (co-authored), Scroll.in.
- (2021, May 27). Indian immigration to the UK: Still conflicted. Gateway House Newsletter, 10(21).
- (2021, August 8). Telangana to Gulf: A migration corridor at crossroads. Telangana Today.
- (2021, May 12). End the haunting silence. The New Indian Express.
- (2021, April 6). Migrant workers nowhere on the election horizon.The Times of India.
AY 2019-2020
- (2020, June 1). COVID-19 pandemic and internal migrants in Maharashtra: Implications and responses. Sambhāṣaṇ, 1(2), pp. 26-32.
- (2020, April 1). Health and safety of interstate migrant workers in India during COVID-19: Inadequacy of the labour laws. Roots and Routes, 9(1-4).
- (2020, March 30). They are our guests, let’s behave like hosts. The Times of India.
AY 2018-19
- (2019, May 30). Placing the misplaced priorities right: Diaspora in election manifestos and the case of MOIA. FLAME Newsroom.
- (2019, August 27). Growing India-UAE ties to benefit expats. The Times of India.
- (2019, August 10). Contradictory impact of UAE golden card. The New Indian Express.
- (2019, October 28). Tales of the fringes: Reading Unni R.’s ‘one hell of a lover’. The Wire.
SELECTED INVITED LECTURES
AY 2026-27
- (2026, July 11). Balancing the scales: Migration and sustainability in Swarna Andhra 2047, panellist on the World Population Day Workshop held in Vijayawada and organised by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
AY 2025-26
- (2026, April 24). Gendered mobilities and social protection gaps at the origin countries: Kerala’s migrant domestic workers in the GCC (co-authored) at the ILO STREAM Research Side Event held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
- (2026, March 11). Panellist in the discussion on Placing government at the centre of the migration and mobility framework in India: A paradigm shift, organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), held at Sapru House, New Delhi.
- (2026, February 25). Beyond broad-brush narratives: Women migration to the Gulf reconsidered, special lecture organised by the School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.
- (2025, June 16). Migration - now and future: Understanding the present, envisioning the path ahead, keynote address as part of the Migration Pe Bol Series organised by the RUBAL Foundation, Pune.
AY 2024-25
- (2024, November 29). Elderly parents of the Gulf migrants in Kerala: A sociological enquiry into the prospects of productive ageing and empowerment, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
- (2024, October 25). Transcending boundaries: Interdisciplinary explorations of the varied realities of contemporary Indian migration. RC04-Indian Sociological Society (ISS) and Centre for Diaspora Studies, University of Kerala.
- (2024, August 6). Kerala’s many migrations: Tracing the history of Malayālīs’ global migration. Department of History and Political Science, CMS College, Kottayam, Kerala.
AY 2023-24
- (2024, March 4-8). Methodological issues in research on student migration from India. Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
- (2024, January 24). From home to the world's end: Unfolding the shifts in international migration from Kerala. Department of Sociology and Centre for Research, St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, Kerala.
AY 2022-23
- (2023, February 28). Women on the move: Universalising the gender perspective on migration and mobility. St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, Kerala, in association with Mahatma Gandhi University, UGC-STRIDE.
- (2022, August 12). International migration and the sociality of everyday experiences of Indians abroad. Centre for Diaspora Studies, School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.
- (2022, July 30). Social costs and benefits of international migration. School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi.
AY 2021-22
- (2022, March 21). Understanding Indian diaspora. Faculty Induction Programme (FIP-04/05-2021-22), UGC-HRDC, Manipur University, Imphal.
- (2022, February 22). Women and migration: Locating and mainstreaming gender in migration discourses in India. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
- (2022, January 4-7). Publicness of personal memories and narrative identities in the expatriate literature of Kerala. University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
- (2021, November 5). Indian women migrant labourers in the Gulf countries and the impact of COVID-19. Asia Panel Event on Female Migrant Labourers and COVID-19, Global Research Network, The UK.
- (2021, October 24). Migration and the Indian gig economy. Migration and Telemigration in the Gig Economy, WageIndicator Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
AY 2020-21
- (2021, June 21). Refugee women and their everyday lives in India: Before and during the pandemic. Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh.
- (2021, February 18). India-United Kingdom relations in the post-Brexit era. Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
- (2021, January 30). Migration governance in India: Issues and the way forward. Payyannur College, Kannur, Kerala.
- (2020, December 17). India-EU engagement in migration and mobility: Issues and the way forward. Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.
- (2020, October 31). Migrants and their narrative identity: Mapping the Indian diaspora literature. O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana.
- (2020, July 9). Capacity building of women and children who have migrated and left behind. International Justice Mission, Patna (IJM), Bihar Office.