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Iran Opinion

Happy Nowruz from Ajam: 1399 in Review

Posted on April 19, 2021 by alexrezashams

Originally published on Ajam Media Collective at April 19, 2021. Happy Nowruz from all of us here at Ajam Media Collective! It’s a rare thing to experience the turn of

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Opinion

Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions

Posted on March 24, 2020 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 24, 2020. This is the second article in a series about how Iranians are adjusting their lives as they enter the second

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Opinion

Happy Nowruz from Ajam: 1398 in Review

Posted on March 20, 2020 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 20, 2020. Happy Nowruz from all of us here at Ajam Media Collective! With the arrival of the first day of spring

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Opinion

Muscat: Where the Arab World Meets the Indian Ocean

Posted on August 27, 2019 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on August 27, 2019. In Muscat’s souq, Arabic, Baluchi, Urdu, Hindi, and Malayalam mix freely, alongside a variety of fruits and flowers like tamarind,

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Iran Opinion

Tehran is not just “LA with minarets”: Against cliches of Third World cities on the brink of disaster

Posted on January 14, 2019 by alexrezashams

The Guardian covered Tehran in its recent article series, “The next 15 mega cities,” an examination of metropolises across Asia and Africa that will soon hit the 15-million population mark.

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Opinion

Bulgarian Habibi: How Orientalist Stereotypes in Chalga Music Recover Memories of the Balkans’ Ottoman Past

Posted on January 10, 2019 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Balkanist on January 10, 2019. The tension inherent to chalga and turbofolk music – is it local or foreign? – hints at the deeper paradox beneath contemporary

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India Iran Opinion

How Nowruz is Celebrated Around the World

Posted on March 21, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 21, 2018. Nowruz is an ancient festival marking the arrival of Spring that is celebrated in parts of the Middle East, Central

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Opinion Palestine

How Trump ruined Christmas for Palestinian Christians

Posted on December 25, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Middle East Eye on December 25, 2017. American support for Israel is helping drive Palestinian Christians out Christmas is a special time of the year in Palestine.

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Opinion Palestine

How Israeli control over Jerusalem destroyed its holiest sites

Posted on December 18, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Middle East Eye on December 18, 2017. Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital serves to legitimise ethnic cleansing of Palestinians – Christian and Muslim alike

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Iran Iraq Opinion USA

The Weaponization of Nostalgia: How Afghan Miniskirts Became the Latest Salvo in the War on Terror

Posted on September 6, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” The debate over Afghan women’s miniskirts have become the latest salvo in the War on Terror. Last month, Donald Trump announced that the US

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About me

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American writer and a PhD student of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.

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Recent posts

  • Sofreh aqd: An inside look at Iranian weddings
  • From City to Slope in Iran
  • Happy Nowruz from Ajam: 1399 in Review
  • Tanakura Bazaar: The Iranian Legacy of Beloved Japanese Soap Opera Oshin
  • Iranians celebrate US elections with hilarious memes as Trump faces defeat
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About

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American writer and a PhD student of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. He was based in Bethlehem, Palestine from 2013-2015, where he worked for Ma'an News Agency, the largest independent Palestinian news agency. He previously received his master's from Harvard University in Middle Eastern studies. His work focuses on the intersections of gender, religion, politics, and urban space in the modern Middle East. He is an editor-in-chief of Ajam Media Collective (AjamMC.com), a platform focused on culture and society throughout Iran as well as Central and South Asia.

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Popular posts

  • Tehran is not just “LA with minarets”: Against cliches of Third World cities on the brink of disaster
    Tehran is not just “LA with minarets”: Against cliches of Third World cities on the brink of disaster
  • FEMEN threatens to 'cancel' Christmas in Bethlehem
    FEMEN threatens to 'cancel' Christmas in Bethlehem
  • Cuisine, poésie et confinement : un témoignage d’Iran
    Cuisine, poésie et confinement : un témoignage d’Iran
  • Amba: The Iraqi Mango Pickle from India That Tops Palestinian Shawarma
    Amba: The Iraqi Mango Pickle from India That Tops Palestinian Shawarma
  • Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions
    Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions
  • Sofreh aqd: An inside look at Iranian weddings
    Sofreh aqd: An inside look at Iranian weddings

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