Professional identity and stigma in the context of war

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of critical events, such as wars, on the professional identities and stigmatization of academics living abroad. Through the theoretical lenses of stigma and identity research, the study explores the coping strategies of the impacted academic professionals. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed-methods approach. The findings are based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 30 academics of Russian origin residing abroad, along with 265 survey responses from the same population. Findings The results indicate a significant impact of the war on stigmatized academics’ professional identities, due to political and social environments. Stigmatized academics’ research, teaching and service/leadership has been impacted with research being impacted the most. We identified four stigma coping strategies – dilution, information management, reconstruction and emotion work. These strategies were the most utilised by academics to reduce the impact of stigmatization through social identification. Originality/value The study serves as a valuable contribution to the literature on professional academic identity, as well as stigma in international business within the context of war.