Blog

The Center’s Blog: “With A Trace”

View the Center's Blog, With a Trace: Documenting and Sharing the Experiences of the Iranian Diaspora.

A blog to read and share about Iranian diaspora experiences and culture by the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, San Francisco State University.

2022

The Iranian Diaspora in Spain: First Insights from Fieldwork 2019-2022

After Salamanca: Reflections on the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies on the Occasion of our Fifth Anniversary

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Iranians in Hungary in the Past and the Present

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Spaces of Possibility with Iranian Diaspora Artist, Afruz Amighi

Finding My Language: A Personal Exploration of Identity in the Iranian Diaspora

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: San Francisco State University’s Dr. Mahmood Monshipouri and the Imperative of Researching and Teaching Human Rights in the 21st Century

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: The Push and Pull of Iranianness in and out of the Kitchen

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Amir Sayadabdi—Advancing and Promoting Food Studies within Iranian/Persianate Studies

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Pirooz Kalayeh on Making Films, Listening, and the Power of Healing

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Laetitia Nanquette—A Scholar Writing from Outside and Inside

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Halleh Ghorashi of Vrije University On Building a Sense of Empowerment and Home

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Art Beyond Aesthetics—the Vision of Morehshin Allahyari

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Learning from the Movements of Gymnastics—Professor Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi on Becoming a Historian and Director of a Canadian Institute of Iranian Studies

2021

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Sepehr Haddad On Making Art from Life and On Making a Life in the Arts

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Abdi Soltani, Director of the Northern California ACLU on Being ‘Good’ Iranian Americans and Building a Culture of Human and Civil Rights

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Catherine Sameh On Finding the Bonds of Solidarity in the Transnational Feminist Frame

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Sanaz Fotouhi on Connecting through Stories, Film, Literature, and Her Own Storytelling

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Iranian-American Author Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi— Writing Through and About the Complexities of Otherness

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Being Without Belonging—Iranian Diaspora Subjects in the Transnational Research of Professor Sahar Sadeghi

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: “Joonopanir”—or How We Speak “Finglish” in the Iranian Diaspora

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: ‘The Savage Muse’ — Building Community Across the Artful Dinner Table

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Author Olivia Abtahi on Giving Voice to the Marginalized in YA Fiction

From the Granular to the Sweeping: Reflecting on the Evolution of a Diaspora

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Vancouver’s Chef Hamid Salimian—Finding His Way through Food

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Telling Stories from Tehran to Rome to Vancouver to Los Angeles with Chef and Cookbook Author Naz Deravian

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: California-Based Artist Keyvan Shovir and Movement Between Tradition, Modernity, and Diaspora

Atossa Soltani on Being a “Planetary Citizen” and Defending the Amazon

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Forging a Progressive Future with Yasmin Radjy

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Chef Hoss Zaré –A Tale of Persian Hospitality, Cooking Innovation, and Culinary Evangelism

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Milad Odabaei—On Transitioning to the United States and Conducting Fieldwork in Iran

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Sara Saedi—On Growing up Undocumented and Becoming a YA Novelist

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: “Daring to Look” – Pouran Jinchi and Re-Writing Women into the Great Calligraphic Traditions of Iran

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Building A Bay Area Iranian-American Queer Community One Person-at-a-Time

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Claudia Yaghoobi and the Importance of Making the Marginalized Visible

2020

Reflections on Racism, Inequality, and the Role Iranian-Americans Can Play in Social Justice

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Torange Yeghiazarian, Founding Artistic Director of Golden Thread Productions—Creating and Sustaining Theatre with a Purpose

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Bay Area Filmmaker Mo Gorjestani and His Mission to Tell the Stories of the Marginalized, the Vulnerable, and the Resilient

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Novelist Marjan Kamali—Writing from a Place of Nuance

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Samira Saffarzadeh—On Crossing Boundaries, Raising Biracial Children, and Hosting the Podcast, “We’re Not So Different” 

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Sepi Shyne – An Advocate for the LGBTQIA Community and Social Justice in Her City

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Azin Seraj—Making Art from the Archive of Her Diasporic Life

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Nima Rahimi, Attorney and Advocate for Political Participation and Democracy

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Sahar Razavi, California State University, Sacramento

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Taghi Amjadi On Hafez and the Power of Seeking Mental Healthcar

Iranian Diaspora Youth Essay Contest: Sam Rahbin

Iranian Diaspora Youth Essay Contest: Sam Bashiri

Iranian Diaspora Youth Essay Contest: Donya Hosseini

2019

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: The King and Queen of Kuku, Aisan Hoss and Mehdi Parnia

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Holly Fathi and the Emerging Literature of British Iranians

Elica Vafaie: An Iranian-American Attorney Committed to Social Justice

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Ana Bayat, Multilingual Actor and Playwright

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Artist and Murphy Award Winner Shirin Towfiq

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: The Making of a Movie—Report from the Frontlines of “We Are Here” Documentary

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Shadee Abdi

Iranian Diaspora Scholar Spotlight: Marie Ostby, Connecticut College

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Hanif Sadr, Chef at Komaaj and Caterer for Minnesota Street Project Receptions

“Chanting the Shores” Iranian Diaspora Spotlight with Amin Moghadam, Princeton University

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Jasmin Darznik, Novelist and Professor

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Shirin Vossoughi, Northwestern University

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Taraneh Hemami, Artist and Activist and Curator for “Part and Parcel” and “Once at Present”

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Amy Malek, College of Charleston

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Manijeh Nasrabadi

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Camron Amin

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Sonja Moghaddari

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Neda Maghbouleh

Iranian Diaspora Spotlight: Dr. Beeta Baghoolizadeh