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Alex Shams

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Alex Shams

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Arab World Reporting

Corona Ya Corona: Arabic Pop Music Takes on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on April 5, 2020 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on April 5, 2020. In times of crisis, musicians use their craft to make sense of realities confronting society. They help others come to

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Iran Reporting

Cuisine, poésie et confinement : un témoignage d’Iran

Posted on April 3, 2020 by alexrezashams

Originally published on April 3, 2020 on Le Grand Continent. Puisque les traditions des fêtes de fin d’année iraniennes (21 mars) sont rendues impossibles par l’épidémie de coronavirus, les Téhéranais

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Iran Reporting

Quarantine Kitchen: Iranians share recipes, flavors, and joy despite the threat of coronavirus

Posted on March 15, 2020 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 15, 2020. Tehran has been under a state of semi-quarantine for 20 days. For weeks, millions have avoided leaving the house for

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Iraq Reporting

A Jewish Shrine inside a Mosque: the History of Ezekiel’s Tomb in Iraq

Posted on March 3, 2019 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” Along either side of the Euphrates river as it passes through southern Iraq, a narrow band of fertile soil blossoms with verdant overgrowth, date

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India Iran Reporting

On Persian pilgrimages, Pakistanis and Indians reconnect with Iran

Posted on December 6, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Dawn on December 6, 2018. Atop a rocky hill southeast of Tehran sits the shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu, a Persian princess who was the daughter of the last Sassanian

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Reporting

Amba: The Iraqi Mango Pickle from India That Tops Palestinian Shawarma

Posted on October 22, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on October 22, 2018. Step into any Palestinian shawarma shop and the choice of toppings traverse a mouth-watering array of options: thick tahini-and-parsley bakdoonsiyyeh, crushed shatta peppers

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Iran Reporting

Samuel Jordan, the American missionary whose name graces Tehran’s most glamorous street

Posted on March 9, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” For residents of Tehran, the name “Jordan” conjures up images of luxury apartment towers, expensive brand names, and twenty-somethings in fancy cars who spend

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El Salvador Reporting USA

Reconstructing the Village of the Divino Salvador

Posted on October 31, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Los Angeles Review of Books on October 31, 2017. EVERY AUGUST, Salvadorans around the world celebrate the Festival of El Salvador del Mundo, the patron saint and

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Iraq Reporting

The Iraqi Soundtrack to the War Against ISIS

Posted on October 12, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” The Iraqi military has conquered the last urban stronghold of the Islamic State group in Iraq. Following victories in Ramadi, Fallujah, Mosul, and Tel

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Iraq Reporting

Add A Little Lemon: The Food Blog Bringing Iraqi Cuisine Straight To Your Table

Posted on September 1, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on September 1, 2017. Iraqi cuisine is tremendously complex and varied. It reflects a culinary heritage that draws upon the influences of neighbors both

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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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