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Coffee Shops and Cigarettes: On the ‘Return’ to Tehran of Young Diasporic Iranians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Leili Sreberny-Mohammadi
Leili Sreberny-Mohammadi*
Affiliation:
Sociocultural Anthropology at New York University
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Abstract

This essay explores the experiences of a young community of diasporic Iranians living and working in Tehran during the years 2007–2009 when the author lived there. Through analysis of the lived experiences of this group, the article highlights a unique experience that is often absent from current discussions of “diaspora.” In the preliminary research, a redeployment of often taken-for-granted concepts such as “home” and “abroad” are proposed and a conceptualization of migration and diaspora that problematizes stasis and movement is reconsidered.

Type
Iranian Diaspora Studies
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 115 - 130
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Iranian Studies 2013

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References

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26 Omid, businessman, discussion with author, January 26, 2009.

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29 Journal note, May 26, 2008.

30 Ali, businessman, in discussion with author, March 15, 2009.

31 Omid, businessman, in discussion with author, January 26, 2009.

32 Gelareh, gallery owner, discussion with author, March 15, 2009.

33 Rouzbeh, English teacher, email communication with author, August 12, 2009.

34 Golnaz, translator, email communication with the author, September 1, 2009.

35 See Jason R. Shams in The Daily Beast, http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-29/what-happened-to-leyli (accessed December 30, 2009). Jason is an Iranian-American whose article documents the disappearance of his friend during Ashura protests in December 2009.

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