A Conversation with the Authors: Recent Books Published about Migration & Displacement

Dr. Sophia Balakian

Dr. Sophia Balakian is a socio-cultural anthropologist and assistant professor in the School of Integrative Studies. Her book, Unsettled Families: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and the Politics of Kinship was named a 2025 Outstanding Title by Choice. Her new research examines transformations in US refugee admissions amidst broader political change. 

Dr. Benjamin Gatling

Dr. Benjamin Gatling is a folklorist and Associate Professor in the English Department at George Mason University. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from The Ohio State University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include oral narrative, performance, the ethnography of communication, Persianate oral traditions, and Islam in Central Asia.

Dr. Yasemin Ipek

Dr. Yasemin İpek is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Global Affairs Program. Her research is situated at the intersection of the anthropology of politics, activism, and inequality; critical studies of humanitarianism and refugees; decoloniality studies; and studies of Islam, sectarianism, and nationalism in the modern Middle East. As a political anthropologist interested in emergent political formations against globally and locally hegemonic forms of power, her interdisciplinary research trajectory draws upon ethnography, political theory, sociology, and critical area studies. 

Dr. Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron

Dr. Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Leadership Studies as well as a Higher Education program faculty member in the School of Integrative Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She develops and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focused on leadership theory, ethics and leadership, leadership in the age of AI, social change, and leadership and organizational problem-solving.

Dr. Ricardo Sanchez

Dr. Ricardo O. Sánchez is a clinical mental health counselor, cross-cultural consultant, and adjunct professor at George Mason University whose work centers on immigrant integration, belonging, and trauma-informed leadership. An immigrant himself, he brings a grounded, human-centered lens to immigration conversations—connecting research, lived experience, and institutional practice.

Dr. Blake Silver

Dr. Blake Silver is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. He also serves as Director of Educational Pathways & Faculty Development in the Honors College and Director of the Education & Health Research Hub in the Center for Social Science Research. Dr. Silver's research focuses on culture, social stratification, and higher education, addressing questions about students' pathways to, through, and beyond college. His current projects examine honors college students' educational pathways, the senior-year transitions of second-generation immigrant students, and student decisions about navigating college resources and opportunities.