Andrew Simon
@simongandrew.bsky.social
Historian of media, pop culture, and the Middle East; senior lecturer @dartmouth; author of "Media of the Masses: Cassette Culture in Modern Egypt"; founder of “Ideas to Ink”; andrewgsimon.com
Pinned
The Making and Mourning of Ahmad Adawiya, a Musical Legend
The singer was banned from the airwaves, but the humble cassette allowed him to circumvent the rules and sell directly to his audience
newlinesmag.com
I never had the chance to meet Ahmad Adawiya, but I felt like I lost a friend when the artist recently passed. In this essay, I reflect on what he meant to me and many others. I hope it serves as a small testament to his immense impact and the obstacles he overcame. newlinesmag.com/essays/the-m...
An exciting new article on Azharis, Sudan, and the Free Officers in IJMES: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
February 12, 2026 at 12:09 AM
An exciting new article on Azharis, Sudan, and the Free Officers in IJMES: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
What does critical thinking look like in practice? What is the value of the humanities? And how might AI be more "human-centered"? Recently, I launched a newsletter that engages these questions and others with fellow educators. I hope you enjoy it. polygencesir.substack.com/p/critical-t...
Critical Thinking in the Age of AI
An Interview with AI in Education Expert Eric Hudson
polygencesir.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:10 PM
What does critical thinking look like in practice? What is the value of the humanities? And how might AI be more "human-centered"? Recently, I launched a newsletter that engages these questions and others with fellow educators. I hope you enjoy it. polygencesir.substack.com/p/critical-t...
A visiting fellowship for Palestinian scholars is available at the University of Bologna. bandi.unibo.it/s/dse/call-f...
February 11, 2026 at 5:17 PM
A visiting fellowship for Palestinian scholars is available at the University of Bologna. bandi.unibo.it/s/dse/call-f...
5 new scholarships are available for Palestinian students at Goldsmiths, University of London.
February 11, 2026 at 5:06 PM
5 new scholarships are available for Palestinian students at Goldsmiths, University of London.
An exciting conversation with Kim Ghattas and Ann Kerr, the mother of Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr, at the American University of Beirut!
February 11, 2026 at 4:43 PM
An exciting conversation with Kim Ghattas and Ann Kerr, the mother of Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr, at the American University of Beirut!
Next week, Nelly Hanna will be discussing “how to write about empires” at the American University in Cairo!
February 10, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Next week, Nelly Hanna will be discussing “how to write about empires” at the American University in Cairo!
Reposted by Andrew Simon
Imagine Bad Bunny wanting to collaborate with you. news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Pop star Bad Bunny needed a Puerto Rican history scholar. UW–Madison had just the one.
Bad Bunny collaborated with UW–Madison history professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo on Puerto Rican narratives that accompany the new album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
news.wisc.edu
February 9, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Imagine Bad Bunny wanting to collaborate with you. news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Imagine Bad Bunny wanting to collaborate with you. news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Pop star Bad Bunny needed a Puerto Rican history scholar. UW–Madison had just the one.
Bad Bunny collaborated with UW–Madison history professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo on Puerto Rican narratives that accompany the new album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
news.wisc.edu
February 9, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Imagine Bad Bunny wanting to collaborate with you. news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Reposted by Andrew Simon
I’ve started to receive book proposals. It’s been such a joy seeing people’s ideas come to life. If you have a book in mind about the Middle East, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Are you writing a book on the Middle East or the Global South? If so, let me know! I just joined Lynne Rienner Publishers as a consulting editor and am eager to bring engaging, innovative, and impactful scholarship to readers around the world.
February 4, 2026 at 7:54 PM
I’ve started to receive book proposals. It’s been such a joy seeing people’s ideas come to life. If you have a book in mind about the Middle East, don’t hesitate to reach out!
I’ve started to receive book proposals. It’s been such a joy seeing people’s ideas come to life. If you have a book in mind about the Middle East, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Are you writing a book on the Middle East or the Global South? If so, let me know! I just joined Lynne Rienner Publishers as a consulting editor and am eager to bring engaging, innovative, and impactful scholarship to readers around the world.
February 4, 2026 at 7:54 PM
I’ve started to receive book proposals. It’s been such a joy seeing people’s ideas come to life. If you have a book in mind about the Middle East, don’t hesitate to reach out!
An exciting opportunity to submit an essay on cultural production to a leading Middle East Studies publication! www.merip.org/2026/02/call...
Call for Pitches—Visual Art & Cultural Production in the Middle East and North Africa
MERIP is seeking pitches for our Summer 2026 issue exploring visual art and cultural production in the Middle East and North Africa. We invite submissions that center artistic practices and cultural h...
www.merip.org
February 2, 2026 at 8:53 PM
An exciting opportunity to submit an essay on cultural production to a leading Middle East Studies publication! www.merip.org/2026/02/call...
Seeing “Media of the Masses” in people’s photos of books they purchased at the Cairo International Book Fair is bringing me a lot of joy.
January 26, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Seeing “Media of the Masses” in people’s photos of books they purchased at the Cairo International Book Fair is bringing me a lot of joy.
اللحظة دي أجمل ليا يا صديقي. الف الف شكر لاهتمامك بالكتاب أعلام الجماهير اللي كتبته من قلبي. اتمنى ان تشوف نفسك فيه و مستنى رأيك فيه. شكراً!
January 25, 2026 at 3:36 PM
اللحظة دي أجمل ليا يا صديقي. الف الف شكر لاهتمامك بالكتاب أعلام الجماهير اللي كتبته من قلبي. اتمنى ان تشوف نفسك فيه و مستنى رأيك فيه. شكراً!
د. خالد فهمي من أهم مؤرخي مصر، ولسه فاكر أول مرة قرأت كتابه "كل رجال الباشا" وأنا في برنامج الدكتوراه. والكتاب ده أثّر فيَّ بشكل عميق، سواء في طريقة تفكيري أو أسلوب كتابتي. ووجود كتابي "إعلام الجماهير" جنب كتابه الجديد "ولي النعم" على صفحة قارئة مصرية شاطرة هو شرف كبير أوي ليا
January 23, 2026 at 3:53 PM
د. خالد فهمي من أهم مؤرخي مصر، ولسه فاكر أول مرة قرأت كتابه "كل رجال الباشا" وأنا في برنامج الدكتوراه. والكتاب ده أثّر فيَّ بشكل عميق، سواء في طريقة تفكيري أو أسلوب كتابتي. ووجود كتابي "إعلام الجماهير" جنب كتابه الجديد "ولي النعم" على صفحة قارئة مصرية شاطرة هو شرف كبير أوي ليا
Find yourself a friend who will send you photos of your book in the wild. Feeling grateful for these images from the Cairo International Book Fair.
January 23, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Find yourself a friend who will send you photos of your book in the wild. Feeling grateful for these images from the Cairo International Book Fair.
Reposted by Andrew Simon
My first Arabic-language podcast! A thousand thanks, Ghadeer, for this memorable opportunity to dive into Egypt's recent past and the extraordinary impact of an ordinary technology. youtu.be/sMloy3NjTBk?...
January 21, 2026 at 1:40 PM
My first Arabic-language podcast! A thousand thanks, Ghadeer, for this memorable opportunity to dive into Egypt's recent past and the extraordinary impact of an ordinary technology. youtu.be/sMloy3NjTBk?...
My first Arabic-language podcast! A thousand thanks, Ghadeer, for this memorable opportunity to dive into Egypt's recent past and the extraordinary impact of an ordinary technology. youtu.be/sMloy3NjTBk?...
January 21, 2026 at 1:40 PM
My first Arabic-language podcast! A thousand thanks, Ghadeer, for this memorable opportunity to dive into Egypt's recent past and the extraordinary impact of an ordinary technology. youtu.be/sMloy3NjTBk?...
The last time I attended the Cairo International Book fair I purchased so many books that I ended up straining a tendon in my hand carrying all of them back home. I still can't believe that my book will be at the Book fair this year. Something I never imagined was possible.
January 21, 2026 at 12:51 PM
The last time I attended the Cairo International Book fair I purchased so many books that I ended up straining a tendon in my hand carrying all of them back home. I still can't believe that my book will be at the Book fair this year. Something I never imagined was possible.
This thoughtful engagement with "Media of the Masses" made my entire month. Thank you, Hossam! 3arabawy.substack.com/p/rewinding-...
January 20, 2026 at 10:42 PM
This thoughtful engagement with "Media of the Masses" made my entire month. Thank you, Hossam! 3arabawy.substack.com/p/rewinding-...
A thousand thanks to Diwan Bookstore in Cairo for recommending my book! There's something poetic about seeing "Media of the Masses" next to the author of "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."
January 16, 2026 at 4:45 PM
A thousand thanks to Diwan Bookstore in Cairo for recommending my book! There's something poetic about seeing "Media of the Masses" next to the author of "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."
I cannot recall the last time I was so excited to read an article. A thousand congratulations to Reem Abou-El-Fadl on this important, open-access publication. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
January 16, 2026 at 3:13 PM
I cannot recall the last time I was so excited to read an article. A thousand congratulations to Reem Abou-El-Fadl on this important, open-access publication. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
To have "Media of the Masses" make this end of the year video by one of Egypt's most voracious readers means the world to me. Thank you, Hatem, for engaging with this book!
January 14, 2026 at 9:49 PM
To have "Media of the Masses" make this end of the year video by one of Egypt's most voracious readers means the world to me. Thank you, Hatem, for engaging with this book!
Reposted by Andrew Simon
The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (BJMES) is searching for a new editor! #MiddleEast
January 14, 2026 at 3:53 AM
The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (BJMES) is searching for a new editor! #MiddleEast
The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (BJMES) is searching for a new editor! #MiddleEast
January 14, 2026 at 3:53 AM
The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (BJMES) is searching for a new editor! #MiddleEast
The Middle East Studies Association just announced their new call for papers for this year's conference in Boston.
January 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM
The Middle East Studies Association just announced their new call for papers for this year's conference in Boston.