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Alex Shams

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Alex Shams

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Opinion

Iran Opinion

Iran has a long history of protests. This time it’s different

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Alex Shams

Originally published in the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 8, 2022. Three weeks in, Iran’s protests show no signs of stopping. Sparked by the death of a young Kurdish Iranian

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Iran Opinion

What Role Does Religion Play in Iran’s Protests?

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Alex Shams

Alex Shams was interviewed by AJ+ about the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran that began in September 2022. He discussed how protestors were navigating the complex relationship between religion

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Iran Opinion

Happy Nowruz from Ajam: 1399 in Review

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Alex Shams

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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Iran Opinion

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

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Alex Shams

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 Alex Shams

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 Alex Shams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on August 27, 2019. All photos by author Alex Shams. In Muscat’s souq, Arabic, Baluchi, Urdu, Hindi, and Malayalam mix freely, alongside a variety

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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 Alex Shams

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 Alex Shams

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 Alex Shams

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 Alex Shams

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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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

  • ‘We Have Broken the Wall of Fear’: Iranian protesters on what brings them back to the streets four weeks in
  • Iran has a long history of protests. This time it’s different
  • What Role Does Religion Play in Iran’s Protests?
  • Inside Mexico’s deep and unexpected legacy of Iranians
  • Feats of Strength and Street Politics in Tehran – مواقع القوة وسياسات الشارع في طهران
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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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