iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Before Iranians were killed, they had to become killable. And shows like Homeland and Tehran did precisely that. While an early generation built an image of Iran as fanatical, backward, and savage, recent shows turn Iran into an active war zone.

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Iranians have rallied behind Team Melli for decades. So why did they recently become the target of political campaigns? In Ajam's latest, Ashkan Hashemipour traces the delegitimization campaign. Despite the noise online, he argues, Team Melli remains a source of unity. Full article below:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

"The demilitarization of the Indian Ocean may sound utopian. It is, in fact, the only reasonable demand commensurate with the existential stakes at hand? Ecological custodianship or catastrophe." Read the Case for Demilitarizing the Indian Ocean:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

The World Cup has put Tehrangeles in the spotlight. But how much do you really know about the largest Iranian community outside of Iran? Read our Tourist’s Guide to Tehrangeles, the Capital of the Iranian Diaspora:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

What connects a tiny Swiss village, the bedazzled palaces of Safavid Isfahan, and the imperial courts of Mughal Delhi? Read about the remarkable 18th century journey of the Lion and Sun in the second article in our Unexpected Persianate Series by Kristof Szitar:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

What does the most famous Hungarian dish tarhonya share with the humble Persian tarkhineh? Far more than just a name! Read about culinary connections between Hungary, the Ottomans, and Iran in the latest piece on Ajam, the first in our Unexpected Persianate Series:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

For Assyrians across the Middle East and in diaspora, the red, white, and blue Assyrian flag is a symbol of resilience and unity. But how does a stateless nation develop a flag? In Ajam's latest, Ramina Samuel explores the history of the Assyrian flag:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

"The night before the attack, Rafi-Nia synagogue hosted a Passover celebration. The morning after, the community gathered again, this time to survey the rubble." Narciss M. Sohrabi reflects on the destruction of a Tehran synagogue - and how its tight-knit community is planning to rebuild:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

"Restorative nostalgia may briefly unite a diaspora, but it is not enough to build a nation. Afghanistan offers a stark lesson." The latest article on Ajam is a reflection on royal nostalgia and the lessons of Zahir Shah's return after the US invasion, written by Zohra Saed:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

How did the Indian Ocean become a geography of unilateral US dominance? In Ajam's latest, Mahdi Chowdhury explores the history of anti-colonial efforts to build a Zone of Peace and argues for the urgent, existential need to demilitarize the Indian Ocean:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Blackouts do not erase events. They shape what can be proven, mourned, and acted upon. For Ajam's latest, Parham Ghalamdar uses theory-fiction to understand what happens when mourning is forced through an interface and death is indexed in Iran today:

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Khak-e Hayat was a two-week research residency bringing together 14 artists, academics, and architects from Iran and Pakistan to explore the region’s shared ecological pasts and imagine alternative visions for a collective future. Read on to learn more: ajammc.com/2025/12/03/a...

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

For Ajam's latest, Manar Heikal explores the history of her illustrious community - the Iranians of Cairo: "You won’t find much about them in textbooks. There are no heritage signs, no archives, no plaques. Our story was something quieter. More intimate." Read it here: ajammc.com/2025/09/28/i...

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Confused yet? Let us help you make sense of this with our recent article: "The Battle Over Iran's Flag" ajammc.com/2025/07/09/b...

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Join us Tuesday for a panel in collaboration with the Association for Persianate Studies about “The Unexpected Persianate”!

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Happy Nowruz !! نوروز پیروز From all of us at Ajam — As we welcome spring and the new year, check out these beautiful Nowruz stamps explained by Ben Rejali! ajammc.com/2025/03/19/n...

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Ajam Media Collective @ajammc.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

***new podcast alert!*** @bcheves.bsky.social interviews @annikaschmeding.bsky.social about her first book, Sufi Civilities: Religious Authority and Political Change in Afghanistan (@stanfordpress.bsky.social, 2023). Listen here: ajammc.com/2025/03/03/a...

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