When I first launched Digital Iran in 2019, my goal was to document and analyze how Iranian gaming communities navigate digital controls. What began as a focused project has since grown into a multi-phase, multi-method research program that examines the infrastructures of censorship, surveillance, and resilience in Iran and its diaspora. Over the past several […]
Digital Iran: Expanding the Project Read More »
In June 2025, I completed my PhD in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Washington. My dissertation, Affective Lifeworlds: Iranian Gamers vs. the Islamic Republic of Iran, examines how gaming communities adapt to censorship, surveillance, and digital controls. Drawing on interviews, surveys, and network analysis, I show how everyday users develop sociotechnical
Dissertation / PhD Completion Read More »
Research Throughout summer 2021, I have gathered data from interviews, participant-observation, Instagram, Steam, and World of Warcraft. While gathering this data, I researched the political discourses surrounding the use of the internet and lack of access for Iranian gamers by also tracing the socio-political issues such as the rise of the filternet, blogging, and networked
Research & Writing Update Read More »
In Fall 2019, I began working on a website about Iranian video games entitled “The Digital Borderlands: Glocalizing Iranian Video Games.” I used the plugin Neatline to geotemporally locate the games. The project is ongoing, and will eventually contain more games’ information. I will also be adding explanations on the metadata schema and theoretical framework
My Website on Iranian Video Games Read More »
Over the course of a six-week Persian program through ASPIRANTUM in Yerevan, Armenia, I explored, learned, and built a network of colleagues that made my stay intellectually intriguing. During the welcome dinner for the program, I recall that Dr. Khachik Gevorgyan, director of ASPIRANTUM, stated: “This summer program is not just about learning a foreign
ASPIRANTUM Persian Program – Summer 2019 Read More »
