Andrew Simon
Historian of media, pop culture, the Middle East. Senior Lecturer at Dartmouth; author of "Media of the Masses: Cassette Culture in Modern Egypt"; founder of “Ideas to Ink”; andrewgsimon.com
- Engaging headline aside, this is not the story. If only the NYT would cover the adjunctification of higher education, or the decisions of scholars not to come to the U.S. to share their research due to what might happen at the border, with such interest. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/o...
- The Middle East Studies Association has really met the moment. I'm proud to be a member of it.
- Serving as the modern history book review editor for the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES) has been a joy, and I’m happy to share that I’ve been invited to continue to do so for another two years. I’m looking forward to showcasing more brilliant scholarship.
- Without this funding, my first book would not exist. The American Overseas Research Centers play an essential role in supporting the production of new knowledge across the humanities.
- In the course of conducting research for "Media of the Masses," I often visited the Diwan bookstore in Cairo. To see my book now be a best-seller there is nothing short of surreal. To everyone who has picked up a copy of this story in Egypt, thank you. It means the world to me.
- Wishing there was a way to be my book's plus one right now. "Media of the Masses" is now available at the Doha International Book Fair.
- A poster for a current cassette exhibition in Cairo on the same street where I used to live back in 2008. It's very cool to see others engaging with audiotapes in Egypt!
- There’s an Arabic proverb that says “choose a companion before a path” (اختار الرفيق قبل الطريق). It’s an honor to see my book serve as someone’s travel companion.
- Mosab Abu Toha just won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Gaza.
- The 1981 cover of "October" magazine, which offers a glimpse into Egypt's soundscape and calls to regulate it.
- A book I very much cannot wait to read and teach. Out with @harvardpress.bsky.social this December! www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
- A welcomed step.
- Today ACLS, AHA, and MLA filed a lawsuit in federal district court seeking to reverse the recent actions to devastate the National Endowment for the Humanities, including the elimination of grant programs, staff, and entire divisions and programs. bit.ly/4lWubq5
- A powerful article from the editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth about the arrest of student journalists covering their peers and faculty members peacefully protesting on the college green a year ago that is worth reading. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2025...
- Our roundtable on the power and politics of popular culture in Egypt just made the MESA program! If you'll be attending the annual meeting in DC later this year, let's grab coffee!
- Two talks in Cairo that are bound to be tremendous.
- An opportunity at Oxford.
- One way I never envisioned my book surfacing in the world.
- As a long-time listener of @mactra.bsky.social’s "Phantom Power" podcast, it was an honor to have the opportunity to explore Egypt's cassette culture with a couple of colleagues on an episode that takes the form of a mixtape. phantompod.org/cassette-the...
- This week, Akhir Sa’a, a popular magazine I relied extensively upon to explore Egypt’s cassette culture, featured an article on my book. This full circle moment caught me by surprise and brought tears to my eyes. In the piece, the author says the book will inspire new kinds of histories of Egypt 🥹
- A memorable moment from class this week: when exploring the politics of pop music in relation to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, one student introduced Ed Sheeran's new music video, "Azizam," which debuted a few days ago and includes a cameo by none other than Googoosh. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI9Z...
- The original audiobook. A Sawt al-Qahira production featuring Shaykh Mahmud Khalil al-Husari reciting the Qur’an. One among many items that will appear in a digital archive preserving Egypt’s cassette culture that’s currently in the works.
- A book I’ve very much been waiting to read! Out this October with @ucpress.bsky.social.
- ألف ألف مبروك لمحمد سمير ندا و لمصر!
- Warda returns - the latest release from Wewantsounds 🎶
- مرحبا المغرب. وصل إعلام الجماهير إلى معرض الكتاب في الرباط.
- The future of Arab media studies is bright with the creation of this new society!
- One of many moments in this @newlinesmag.bsky.social article on the arrest of Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown, that stopped me in my tracks.
- Easily the best beginning to a book review I have ever read. Here, the author recounts an early exchange between us on Facebook and questions whether I was a spy based on my knowledge of Arabic. You just don't get this kind of engagement in academic journals 😂. www.haarf.org/1946?fbclid=...
- A wonderful opportunity for scholars conducting research on modern Egypt!
- Is the fully furnished studio inside Saad Zaghloul’s tomb?
- What are the best books or articles you’ve read on the Arab Left? #academicsky
- Searching for a new podcast? Check out “Uncovering Roots.” The first episode of the new season explores the history of Aleppo’s Baron Hotel, from its Ottoman origins to the present-day. open.spotify.com/episode/6jEi...
- Hunter College recently advertised two tenure-track openings for Palestinian Studies! To learn more: mesana.org/resources-an...
- A talk on the history of college radio that might be of interest to friends in Connecticut! 🎶
- NYC friends, this talks tomorrow sounds tremendous!
- In this recent letter from Senator Richard Blumenthal, he states how he “will continue to advocate for enabling lifesaving humanitarian assistance to reach all who need it in Israel and Gaza.” Why such assistance is required in Gaza in the first place is entirely unclear in the letter.
- Rest in peace, Pope Francis.
- A good first step to recognize the immense contributions made by faculty members off of the tenure-track, that is to say, the vast majority of professors.
- Fun Fact: Enta Omry was played so often on state-controlled Egyptian radio that Umm Kulthum and Abdel Wahab personally requested that it be broadcast less.
- Feeling fortunate to have friends who track down the latest issue of Akhbar al-Adab in Cairo, where my article on an iconic Egyptian singer recently appeared, to bring a copy back of it for me in the U.S. A thousand thanks to @bintalbalad.bsky.social, a fellow scholar of popular culture.
- A member of Dartmouth's incoming class currently in Gaza.
- An upcoming online course concerning "Islamic Feminism" that might be of interest! To learn more: sadrai.com/islamic-feminism
- Reviews in academic journals are great, but seeing people "reserve" your book as soon as it drops on a popular Facebook page is something else.
- NYC friends, stay tuned for more information on this event concerning Egypt and music! 🎵
- Will be reading this article later today: www.chronicle.com/article/said...
