88. Iranian diaspora perspectives

About this episode

The episode discusses the perspectives of the Iranian diaspora in light of recent events in Iran, featuring anthropologist Amy Malek.

Iran has dominated the US news cycle throughout 2026 so far. The U.S. and Israeli war of aggression in Iran just passed its 100th day, having come on the heels of the Islamic Republic regime’s brutal repression of protests around the country in January. Among other things, these events have thrust a spotlight on the complex relationship between Iran and its diaspora, and the varied and contradictory perspectives diasporic Iranians hold when it comes to events inside Iran. In this episode, we speak with anthropologist Amy Malek about her book, Culture Beyond Country: Strategies of Inclusion in the Global Iranian Diaspora (NYU Press, 2025) and its resonances in our current moment.

People in this episode

Guest: Amy Malek

Topics covered

• Iranian diaspora
• US news
• cultural anthropology
• protests in Iran
• global inclusion strategies

Keywords

• Iran
• diaspora
• anthropology
• protests
• inclusion
• US news
• Israel
• war
• cultural strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Society for Cultural Anthropology, NYU Press

Books & works: Culture Beyond Country: Strategies of Inclusion in the Global Iranian Diaspora

Places: Iran, U.S., Israel

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