International
Public

Which Meidaan (Square) are you stepping in?

The london-based TV channel called Iran International recently launched a new program it has named “Meidaan.” The first episode of the show was an interview with the eldest son of the deposed Shah of Iran. Iran International TV’s  new program has not only used Meidaan website’s name but has also appropriated its logo and slogan. The name, logo, and slogan of Iran International’s new show is so similar to the name, logo, and slogan of Meidaan website that some of…
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Paris, City of Love and Terror
Public

Paris, City of Love and Terror

A few months ago Paris was distressed; an unprecedented catastrophe had occurred. What intensified the horror was that the attacks were committed from the inside. It was not reports of bombs and terror in an unimportant faraway land. This time, ISIS was right next door. Since then, France has called for a state of emergency and has taken up expanding police powers and security measures. Most recently, the government is seeking to expand police powers permanently. All this means more pressure on those that could fit the category of the possible enemy: migrants and French nationals of Arab descent. But what is life like for a French resident of Arab descent? What kind of political and economic relations weigh upon them? And what correlates to ISIS's appeal in France? To have a better grasp of the context in Paris and the everyday experiences of the “others” in France, we interviewed Sarah Mazouz, who has done ethnographic research in a youth employment center in the suburb of Paris. In her study she explores the, "the moral and emotional issues involved in the relationship between young people, mostly from working-class and immigrant origins, and their advisors." Sarah Mazouz is currently doing research on dual citizenship in Germany as a post-doctoral fellow for the Center Marc Bloch.
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Politics

The Structural Forces Behind the Rise of Corbyn

 
Less than a month in leadership of the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn has shifted the political scene in Britain. What was behind rise of Corbyn? What does it mean for future of politics in the UK?
On the 12th September Jeremy Corbyn, who began as the 200-1 outsider, became the newest leader of the British Labour Party. While that feat alone represented a remarkable victory, the sheer scale of Corbyn’s win is without precedent. The MP for Islington North beat his rivals in the very first round, winning 59% of first preferences and an astonishing quarter-of-a-million votes. Viewed for much of his career as the perennial rebel of the Labour back benches Corbyn, an MP since 1983, has now attained its highest rank. And all with the biggest mandate of any leader in British political history.
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