Ajam Podcast #9: Soundtrack of the Revolution

Ajam Media Collective Podcast

In this episode, Kamyar and Rustin reunite in New York to speak with Nahid Siamdoust, Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer and the Ehsan Yarshater Fellow at Yale University. She is the author of [Soundtrack of the Revolution: the Politics of Music in Iran (Stanford University Press, 2017) ](https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=24949) Nahid gives an overview of the role of music in Iran’s social and political movements throughout the 20th century, before discussing how music became one of the first causalities of the Islamic Republic before it was slowly reintroduced, albeit with many restrictions on what can be played and whom can perform. From Persian classical music, to underground rock, hip-hop, and pop, Dr. Siamdoust shows how music continues to be a central site of negotiation and struggle between ideologues, bureaucrats, and musicians in Iran. In addition to the music included throughout the interview, Nahid has curated a Soundcloud playlist, [The 10 Songs That Define Modern Iran](https://soundcloud.com/nahid-siamdoust/10-songs-that-define-modern-iran).