To understand the historical, political, and emotional resonance of this migration, we must first analyse such categories as gurbet and gurbetci. The gurbetci – one who lives in exile, diaspora, or away from the homeland – lives in a state […]
Author: Donya Alinejad
Fieldwork blog: what do border-crossing videos do?
The first people I spoke with in Istanbul mentioned the protests outside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. This demonstration had followed the Dutch authorities’ decision to disallow Turkish ministers entry into the Netherlands to campaign for the […]
My book is out: ‘The Internet and Formations of Iranian American-ness’
I’m very happy to share that my book has been released.
Fieldwork blog: The Amsterdam-Istanbul connection vs. The Hague-Ankara tension
A week ago I was in Amsterdam, preparing for a month of field research in Istanbul. That same moment happened to be a time of exceptional diplomatic tension between the Netherlands and Turkey. What did that mean for the Turkish-Dutch connections of migration and digital media I wanted to study?
Guest lecture on using data visualization methods in anthropological research
I’m glad to have the rather unique opportunity of giving a guest lecture this week to anthropology students who want to know more about the possibilities of data visualization methods within an ethnographic research design. The lecture is part of a methods module in the Anthropology Bachelor at the University of Amsterdam that directly addresses questions about how compatible “qualitative” and “quantitative” methods are with one another.
Guest Lecture on Digital Memory
In January, 2017 I’ll be giving a guest lecture in the wonderful course, Somatechnics: Bodies and Power in a Digital Age, led by Dr. Domitilla Olivieri and Dr. Magda Gorska. My lecture will be based on a chapter of my book, The Internet and Formations of Iranian American-ness, which will also be coming out in 2017. The chapter focuses on how practices of collectively remembering the past involve various forms of media. Specifically, it raises questions about what digital mediation does to these practices of remembering. One of the striking examples that I discuss in the chapter is The Cat and the Coup.
Press Release: Wilders protesters were unlawfully arrested
This week, the lawyer who is working on the cases of myself and the nine other women who were arrested in January this year for staging a protest against Geert Wilders got in touch with some news. He let us know that the the public prosecutor had confirmed in an email that our cases had been dismissed on the grounds that our arrests had been unlawful. I’ve added an English language translation of the press release he drafted together with us below. Please feel free to spread it as you see fit. This outcome important for a number of reasons…
Chairing a Masterclass session on migration and social media at KNAW
Yesterday I was happy to chair a fascinating Masterclass session led by Farida Vis, who is Director of the Visual Media Lab in Sheffield. The session was given by Farida at the KNAW as part of an event organized by Koen Leurs and Sandra Ponzanesi on migration, media, and digital technology. Farida gave an interactive talk about the work she’s doing with her team at the Visual Media Lab about the circulation of images, such as that of Alan Kurdi, and their role in shaping discussions of the refugee debate in the UK.
Presentation at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry at Utrecht University
Last week, fresh back from ECREA 2016 in Prague, the team and I presented our preliminary work at a seminar for PhDs, Postdocs, and guest fellows affiliated with the Institute for Cultural Inquiry (ICON). The ICON is the interdisciplinary research institute of the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht University, and the seminar brings together a range of young researchers around themes of gender, media, culture, history, and literature.
Flying to Prague to present in ECREA conference panel on Digital Diasporas and Belonging in Europe
Anticipating giving my paper this week at the 6th European Communication Conference. You can find the panel details here. I’m happy to be presenting alongside my research team members for the first time! Doing some last […]
Donya Alinejad 