Activism & Human Rights Advocacy
The Middle East is often portrayed as an outlier when it comes to human rights, yet, the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the intense digital campaigning that followed proved that rights have become the popular language of protest. The locus of human rights is no longer exclusive to state or inter-state organizations but rather [...]
Artists and Art Organizations
Artists play a huge role in carrying and forming new narratives. Especially within the Middle East and its diaspora-- a region usually studied only in an art historical context-- contemporary artists bring significant symbolism to their work within larger political discourses. The artists featured below cover both young and well established practitioners, representing a wide [...]
Collectives
Collectives - spaces of shared interest - hold great importance in the Middle East. Too often we perceive a monolithic Middle Eastern narrative reflective of ruling politics and foreign affairs, yet small, indigenous collectives offer alternative voices and uplift silent narratives throughout the region. Producing knowledge in many realms, from film to art to politics, [...]
Cyber Space and Cyber Security
CYBER SPACE & CYBER SECURITY Film as a Political Tool: Tracing the History of Cinema in IranFilm as a Political Tool: Tracing the History of Cinema in Iran Artistic Production In Iran When Ayatollah Khomeini declared that his reservation was against promiscuity, not film, the ban on cinema eased. The movies produced after the revolution, [...]
Fashion
Fashion in the Middle East and its diaspora is diverse and multifaceted, traversing modest, Islamic fashion to Western-influenced designs. Some brands choose to focus on gender fluidity while others preserve indigenous textiles threatened by political conflict and globalization. Listed below are some fashion labels and designers that continuously push the bar forward. Apart from brands [...]
Photography
Photography Photography and photographic imagery, while a great tool to portray and communicate events and emotion, can also be a tool of misinformation. Particularly in the Middle East, where most image-making centers around conflict and humanitarian disaster, debunking preconceived assumptions and myths is extremely important. The Middle East has always been more than conflict and [...]
