Del Beh Del The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies

In this episode of “Del Beh Del: Heart-to-Heart Conversations with the Global Iranian Diaspora,” co-hosts Ariana Damavandi and summer intern Tania Jiroudi engage guests from the Bay Area Iranian diaspora community in a long overdue conversation about being half-Iranian, growing up between cultures, and some of the ways in which they do and don’t fit in.

This conversation with Jasmina Aliakbar (Guamanian, Filipina, and Iranian), Joseph Ara (Mexican and Iranian), Ariana Damavandi (Irish and Iranian), Nuri Jones (African-American and Iranian), and Ariana Tabrizi (Italian and Iranian), reveals some of more nuanced ways being Iranian is a negotiation and how a label like “Iranian American” is inadequate to capture the experiences and ongoing journeys that our guests have embarked upon.

Center interns Naazley Boozari and Samira Singleton guest host part two of our fifth episode, "Sounds of the Diaspora: Persian Pop in Tehrangeles" with Dr. Farzaneh Hemmasi, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto and author of "Tehrangeles Dreaming: Intimacy and Imagination in Southern California's Iranian Pop Music," along with music archivist, co-curator of the compilation record Pomegranates, and professor, Arash Saedinia (Los Angeles City College). This fascinating episode explores the soundtrack of Iranian immigration, particularly in Los Angeles, before, during, and after the 1979 revolution. Our guests also discuss the ways that Persian pop music and its icons have shaped a generation, as well as how Persian pop in "Tehrangeles" has influenced music produced within Iran.

Center interns Naazley Boozari and Samira Singleton guest host part one of our fifth episode, "Sounds of the Diaspora: Persian Pop in Tehrangeles" with Dr. Farzaneh Hemmasi, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto and author of Tehrangeles Dreaming: Intimacy and Imagination in Southern California's Iranian Pop Music, along with music archivist, co-curator of the compilation record Pomegranates, and professor, Arash Saedinia (Los Angeles City College). This fascinating episode explores the soundtrack of Iranian immigration, particularly in Los Angeles, before, during, and after the 1979 revolution. Our guests also discuss the ways that Persian pop music and its icons have shaped a generation, as well as how Persian pop in "Tehrangeles" has influenced music produced within Iran.

We hope you enjoyed the last episode of the Del Beh Del Podcast with guest cohosts Ariana Damavandi and Leith Ghuloum. 

Their second episode focuses on trans Iranian women in the diaspora through a dialogue with actress Pooya Mohseni (https://pooyaland.com/) and musician Sepehr Mashiahof (bedroomwitch.com). 

This podcast will be among the first to discuss these identities in the context of the Iranian diaspora and we hope it serves as a jumping off point for others who are looking to learn more about gender identity for themselves or others. 

You can find this episode and all previous episodes on Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Enjoy!

Special thank you to The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, Persis Karim, Ariana Damavandi, Shahriyar Najafgholizadeh, Evette Darensbourg for the production of this podcast, and Ariana Boostani for the music.

Americans are often bombarded with narratives that convey narratives about how other countries are hostile to queer communities. 

While in many regards this is true, we rarely examine how Euro-American imperialism influenced these sentiments in Iran or how the homophobia and racism we are so quick to point out abroad, is prevalent in our own communities here. Because of this, queer Iranian diaspora subjects often operate at a place that often separates them from both Iranian and queer communities, but also exempts them from acceptance into the heteronormative American landscape, leaving many at the margins of our seemingly clashing identities. 

In this first installment of our two-part Pride Month edition of our podcast, guest hosts Ariana Damavandi and Leith Ghuloum of "Del Beh Del: Heart-to-Heart Conversation with the Iranian Diaspora" seek to push back on these claims and share a piece of the gay Iranian experience. 

For this episode, they chat with two queer members of our diaspora community, Joseph Harounian, and James Koroni. 

Special thank you to The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, Persis Karim, Ariana Damavandi, Shahriyar Najafgholizadeh, Evette Darensbourg for the production of this podcast, and Ariana Boostani for the music.

An important conversation about mental health with our "Del Beh Del" co-hosts, Kimia Akbari and Jasmine Djavahery. 

Jilah Behnad and Manijeh Mahmoodzadeh share some of their experiences about breaking the stigma around mental health and helping our community to grow.


Jila Behnad is an Iranian-American licensed marriage and family therapist and the founder and CEO of Raha Foundation, a non-profit mental health organization in Northern California that thrives to break the mental illness stigma, raise awareness and improve mental health in the Iranian diaspora community.

Manijeh Mahmoodzadeh is an Iranian-Boricua femme psychologist, anti-oppression researcher, and youth worker based in Los Angeles. Her research focuses on positive youth development and issues of social justice, with a specific interest in the role of community programs in empowering marginalized youth.

Special thank you to The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, Persis Karim, Ariana Damavandi, Shahriyar Najafgholizadeh, Evette Darensbourg for the production of this podcast, and Ariana Boostani for the music.