Alireza Rabiei Kenari is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA), working on the project From Alleyways to Mediascapes: Micro-Resistance to Iranian Militarism (2010s–present), funded by NWO PhDs in Humanities.

The project examines how everyday practices in Iran have become acts of micro-resistance against pervasive state control and militarized ideology. Rooted in the culture of Koocheh-Bazari, the working-class traditions of alleyways and bazaars, and amplified by the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, the research explores how ordinary activities such as informal gatherings or sharing content on social media can defy authoritarian power. By focusing on both physical and digital spaces, it highlights how local forms of resilience reclaim public life and connect with transnational networks. Drawing on case studies ranging from Iranian semi-public spaces to diasporic media platforms, the project shows how cultural resistance persists despite surveillance and criminalization. Ultimately, it foregrounds Iran’s unique sociopolitical dynamics while offering broader insights into cultural resilience and the global spread of authoritarianism and illiberalism.