Irfan Ahmed Nazir is a social scientist and qualitative researcher specialising in politics, migration, international relations, and Middle Eastern studies. He has submitted his PhD thesis to the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, where his research examines national identity and school education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His doctoral fieldwork was supported by the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research and the Humanities Research Fellowships for the Study of the Arab World at New York University Abu Dhabi.
His broader research interests include state-society relations in the Middle East and South Asia, India’s engagement with the Middle East, migration and diaspora dynamics along the South Asia-Gulf corridor, and education policy and expatriate schooling in the Arab Gulf states. His work has been published by leading academic publishers, including Wiley, Sage, Routledge, and Bloomsbury. He is also curating a monthly digest on India-Middle East relations and a bibliography on Gulf nationalism, both to be available on his website (www.irfanahmednazir.com).
Born and raised in Dubai as a second-generation Indian expatriate, Irfan completed his school education in the UAE. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history, economics, and political science from Christ University, Bangalore, and a master’s degree in politics and international relations from JNU. His family hails from the Thrissur district of Kerala, India, and he is bilingual in English and Malayalam. In his free time, he enjoys exploring urban landscapes, local cuisines, and heritage sites.
Irfan Ahmed Nazir 