Begum Zareefa Islam

Research Interests: Diaspora and Transnationalism; Identity and Belonging; Civic and Political Engagement

Bio: Begum Zareefa Islam is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Tech. Before joining Virginia Tech, she worked with the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research in India, where her experiences with underserved communities shaped her interests in identity, inequality, and community engagement. Her research broadly examines diaspora communities, with a focus on transnationalism, identity, and belonging. Her current work focuses on Indian American communities in the United States, examining how religion, ethnicity, and ties to their country of origin shape civic and political engagement.