Zahra Abedinezhad

CONTACT

E-Mail: abedi.9@osu.edu

Address: Hagerty Hall, 451, 1775 College Rd S, Columbus, OH 43210

EDUCATION

  • The Ohio State University, Comparative Studies, Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Folklore, Ph.D. candidate.
  • Western Kentucky University, Folk Studies, Master of Arts, May 2020. 
  • Tarbiat Modares University, Criminal law and Criminology, Master, 2009
  • Shiraz University, Law, B.L., 2006

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

Teaching Positions 

Lecturer, Comparative Studies Department, The Ohio State University, Introduction to Folklore, August 2025- May 2026. 

Teaching Committee Member, Comparative Studies Dept. The Ohio State University, August 2023-May 2024.

Lecturer, Comparative Studies Department, The Ohio State University, Introduction to Folklore, August 2022- May 2023.

Teaching Assistant, Comparative Studies Department, The Ohio State University, Introduction to Humanities, September 2021- May 2022.

Teaching Assistant, Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, September 2019- May 2020.

  • Collaborated in preparing the syllabus for the Foodways course for undergraduate students
  • Prepared class notes and graded quizzes and exams
  • Delivered lectures on Persian/Iranian food culture to a class of 40 undergraduate students
  • Held office hours to provide consultation to undergraduate students
  • Covered select sessions of Introduction to Cultural Anthropology for a class of 15 undergraduate students

Lecturer, Humanities and Law Department, Semnan State University, Semnan, Iran, September 2014 -2018.

  • Taught Juvenile Delinquency to undergraduate students
  • Taught Islamic Principles of Jurisprudence to undergraduate students
  • Taught Legal Terms in English to a class of 50 undergraduate students
  • Evaluated peer-reviewed papers for the Journal of Studies in Islamic Law & Jurisprudence
  • Mentored five students on their master’s theses

Lecturer, Graduate School, Persian Gulf International Educational Center, Khorramshahr: Iran, January 2012- August 2018.

  • Taught a series of seminars in Criminology
  • Advised 30 students on their master’s theses
  • Served as Director of the Criminal Law Program

Research Positions 

Graduate Research Assistant, The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University, working under the supervision of Ange-Marie Hancock on the cooperative research project Womxn of Color, Womxn of Power, May-August 2024.

Graduate Research Assistant & Assistant Archivist, Center for Folklore Studies, The Ohio State University, August 2023-May 2024. 

Research Assistant (Volunteer), Conflict to Peace Lab, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, August 2020–May 2021, working under the supervision of Austin Knuppe on the research project Community Resilience in Yemen: Enablers, Barriers, and the Role of Local, Non-State, and External Actors.

Research Assistant, Folk Studies and Anthropology Department, Western Kentucky University, September 2018-May 2020. 

  • Conducted archival research in the Historical Archives, Department of Library Special Collections, Western Kentucky University
  • Collaborated on the American Folklore Society’s Curriculum Project, February 2019–April 2020

Service and Leadership Roles 

President, Folklore Student Association, The Ohio State University, March 2024-September 2025.

Conference Organizer, IU/OSU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Conference, themed “Shared Traditions: More than Human Experiences,” February 28–March 1, 2025.

Reviewer for the Journal of American Folklore, manuscript “Analytical and Generic Classification of Persian Folk Poetry,” March 2025.

Graduate Student Affiliate, The Center for the Study of Religion, The Ohio State University, August 2022–May 2025.

Committee Member, World Language Graduate Success Working Group, Graduate Student Success Grant, The Ohio State University, September 2023–May 2024.

Summer Intern, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives, Center for Folklore and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, June–August 2023.

Student Archival Assistant, Special Collections, Thompson Library, The Ohio State University, May-August 2022.

Conference Organizer, A Collective Address to Death, The Ohio State University, May 2022.

Ethnographer, Cooperative Fieldwork Project, Women Owning Woodlands: Southeast Ohio, Center for Folklore Studies, The Ohio State University, January–May 2021. 

Selected Panel Chairing and Conference Moderation:

  • “Restorying Justice and Resistance,” American Folklore Society Conference, Atlanta, GA, October 19, 2025.
  • “The Stories We Sing,” IU/OSU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Conference, Columbus, OH, February 28, 2025.
  • “A Love Letter to the Land: Exploring and Reflecting on Our Emotional Connection to the Environment” by Keely Fisher, IU/OSU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Conference, Columbus, OH, February 28, 2025.
  • “Race, Religion, and Gender in Art and Pop Culture,” Comparative Studies Undergraduate Colloquium and Career Roundtable, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, April 12, 2024.
  • “Case Studies in Folklore and Belief,” Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Portland, OR, November 3, 2023.

Attorney at Law, Fars Bar Association, Iran, January 2011 to 2018. 

PUBLICATIONS 

Journal Publications (Selected)

  • Abedinezhad, Zahra. “From Kurdistan to Washington, Jalal Kimia Connects Communities with the Daf Drum.” Smithsonian Festival Blog, September 7, 2023.
  • Abedinezhad, Zahra (2023). “The Binary Systems in Performances of Muharram: Regimes of Grief and ‘Transgressive’ Mourning.” Vernacular Islam, special issue of Western Folklore, under review.
  • Abedinezhad, Zahra, and M. Farajiha. “Multiculturalism Approach to Criminal Justice: A Case Study of Police Programs and Practices.” Criminal Law Research: A Biannual Journal, 2016, Gilan, Iran. (in Persian)
  • Farajiha, M., and Zahra Abedinezhad. “Risk Assessment and Management of Theft Offenders in the Criminal Justice System of Iran.” Danesh-e-Entezami Journal, 2011, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian)
  • Abedinezhad, Zahra. “Risk Assessment and Management of Sexual Offenders.” Proceedings of the 1st National Conference on Prevention of Crime, February 3, 2010, Mashhad, Iran. (In Persian)
  • Farajiha, M., and Zahra Abedinezhad. “Offender Risk Management: A Case Study of the Islamic Penal Bill Draft.” Karagah (The Detective), Volume 2, No. 5, Winter 2009, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian)
  • Abedinezhad, Zahra. “Executive Preconditions for Social Punishment.” Edalat Ara Law Journal, No. 8, Autumn & Winter 2007, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian)
Book Review

Abedinezhad-Mehrabadi, Zahra. Review of Regimes of Happiness: Comparative and Historical Studies, edited by Yuri Contreras-Vejar, Joanna Tice Jen, and Bryan S. Turner. Contemporary Sociology, vol. 51, no. 1, 2022.

Essay in Encyclopedia 

Abedinezhad, Zahra. “The Notion of Community-Based Policing in the Official Discourse of Police Commanders.” Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, vol. 4, Mizan Publication, 2019, Tehran, Iran. (In Persian).

Invited Talks

“The Karbala Myth and Recent Protests in Iran.” No More Than a Page, Center for the Study of Religion, The Ohio State University, February 8, 2023.

“Mershon Mondays: A Conversation on Events in Iran.” Mershon Center for International Security Studies, The Ohio State University, October 31, 2022.

Conference Presentations 

Presentations In English

  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Reimagining Ta’ziyeh in Iran, Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Atlanta, GA, October 18–21, 2025.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Folklore at OSU: Re/Imagining Legacies and Futures, Forum, Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Albuquerque, NM, November 6–9, 2024.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Meta-Ta’ziyeh in Social Media of Iranians, Western State Folklore Society, Los Angeles, CA, April 2024.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, “Transgressive” Lamentations in Iran’s Muharram; or Lamenting Pop to Challenge Grief?, Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Portland, OR, November 1–4, 2023.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Through the Eyes of Mourners: Feelings and Beliefs of Iranian Women in Practices of the Month of Muharram, Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Tulsa, OK, October 12–15, 2022.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Women’s Participation in Mourning Traditions of Muharram in Contemporary Iran, A Collective Address to Death, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, May 2022.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Staging the “Right” Ta’ziyeh at the Lincoln Center Festival, IU/OSU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Conference, Columbus, OH, April 2022.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, The Aesthetics of Self-Repression in Dress and Body Art among Middle-class Urban Iranian Men, Western State Folklore Society (Online), April 2022.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, What Counts as Singing in Public? Making Room for Women’s Solo Singing in Iran, Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Harrisburg, PA, October 18, 2021.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Fragmented Truths in Narratives of Converted Iranians in a Diaspora, ASYFAIR Conference 2021, “Adjudicating Refugee Claims in Practice – Advocacy and Experience at Asylum Court Appeals,” United Kingdom, June 30, 2021.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, Resistance and Reconciliation in the Shrine: The Role of Imamzadeh in the Reformulation of Iranian Vernacular Shiite Communities, Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Baltimore, MD, October 19, 2019.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad, The Impact of Immigration on the Lives of Iranian Women: A Folklorist Approach, Annual Student Research Conference, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, March 23, 2019.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad and M. Farajiha, Actuarial Justice Approach to Criminal Justice System of Iran, Western Society of Criminology Conference, Newport Beach, CA, February 16, 2012.
  • Zahra Abedinezhad and M. Farajiha, Evaluation of Community Policing in Crime Control Police of Iran, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New York City, NY, March 13, 2012.

Presentations In Persian

Zahra Abedinezhad and S. Rezvani, Restorative Justice: Role of Social Work Unit of Police in Mediation, International Conference on Restorative Justice and Crime Prevention, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, May 2016.

S. Rezvani and Zahra Abedinezhad, Mediation in Schools: A Manifestation of Restorative Justice, International Conference on Restorative Justice and Crime Prevention, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, May 2016.

 

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Ray Travel Award for Service and Scholarship, Council of Graduate Students, The Ohio State University, April 2025. 
  • The Elliott Oring Student Travel Stipend, Western State Folklore Society, April 2024. 
  • Center for Folklore Studies Graduate Student Travel Award, The Ohio State University, April 2024.
  • The Office of Distance Education in the College of Arts and Science Award for Designing Introduction to Folklore (Online) under the Course Creation Program as part of the Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Diversity category of the General Education curriculum, The Ohio State University, April 2024. 
  • The Patrick B. Mullen Graduate Prize for the Best Graduate Student Paper, Center for Folklore Studies, The Ohio State University, April 2023.
  • The American Folklore Society, AFS Graduate Fieldwork Grant 2022-2023.
  • The Iles Award for the Graduate Study of Myth, The Center for the Study of Religion, The Ohio State University, May 2022.
  • The Smithsonian Internship, Ralph Rinzler Archives and Documentation team at 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, June to August 2023.
  • The Elli Köngäs-Maranda Prize, Women Section, American Folklore Society, the 2020 prize for the thesis chapter, “I Choose the Styles Which Are Both Traditional and Artistic”: Iranian Women’s Ways of Dress.
  • Arts & Humanities Graduate Research Small Grant, The Ohio State University, Academic Years 2022–2025.
  • Folklore Student Association Covid Relief Scholarship, Center for Folklore Studies, The Ohio State University, 2021.
  • Distinguished University Fellowship, The Ohio State University, 2020–2025 (two-year fellowship, first year and dissertation year).
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Potter College of Arts & Letters, 2019-2020.
  • Travel Funds, The Graduate School Office, Western Kentucky University, September 2019.
  • Elaine J. Lawless Travel Award for Graduate Students, Folk Belief and Religious Folklife Section, American Folklore Society, April 2019.
  • Graduate Student Research Grant, Western Kentucky University, for the Research Project Experiences of Iranian Immigrant Women Living in the U.S., April-November 2019.
  • Scholarship for master’s Program, Iranian Scholarship Foundation, January 2019- January 2020.
  • Graduate Assistantship, Western Kentucky University, August 2018- May 2020.
  • Research Scholarship, Max Planck Society, Freiburg: Germany, June 2018 –July 2018.
  • Gifted Student Award, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, September 2002- June 2006.
 

Professional Development and Training

Alumna, La Pocha Nostra’s “Three-Day Living Altars” Workshop, led by Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Balitronica Gómez, and Paloma Martínez-Cruz, The Ohio State University, Sept 2022.

Participant, Online Seminar: Indigenous Feminisms: Afghan and Iranian Women’s Lives Under the Theocratic State, New University in Exile Consortium, March 2024–May 2024.

Community-Engaged Arts & Educational Programming Projects

Wexner Center for the Arts Project– Interdisciplinary Seminar (OSU 2022)

  • Collaborated with Wexner Center staff through an interdisciplinary arts seminar to identify new community engagement opportunities and assess evolving needs for public-facing educational programs.
  • Conducted qualitative research on visitor learning, digital engagement, and accessibility practices to inform program design and gallery learning strategies.
  • Developed prototype concepts for interactive, arts-based learning sessions and cross-campus partnerships aligned with institutional mission goals.
  • Presented recommendations to Wexner Center stakeholders, practicing consensus-building and communicating across academic, museum, and community perspectives.

Rug-Weaving Program – Cultural Conservation Course (WKU 2019)

  • Designed and facilitated a hands-on rug-weaving educational program grounded in cultural heritage conservation and material culture pedagogy.
  • Researched and presented best practices for integrating traditional craft practices into community learning and public humanities programs, with attention to accessibility and cultural sensitivity.
  • Coordinated materials, developed lesson structures, and led demonstrations to engage participants in experiential, arts-based learning connected to cultural storytelling and historical context.
  • Created assessment tools and reflection prompts to evaluate participant learning and overall program effectiveness.

Persian Language & Cultural Curriculum Project – Folklore and Education Course (WKU 2019)

  • Developed a comprehensive curriculum design project for teaching Persian language and cultural heritage to diverse youth learners, integrating folklore, arts, and storytelling into language acquisition methods.
  • Researched and applied educational theory to create interactive lesson plans, multimedia activities, and culturally grounded learning experiences that support student engagement and differentiated instruction.
  • Designed culturally responsive teaching strategies that center community traditions, oral narratives, and material culture, demonstrating sensitivity to diverse learning needs and educational settings.
  • Produced evaluative tools, learning outcomes, and implementation guidelines to support effective and inclusive cultural education programs.

LANGUAGE 

Persian – Native
English – Fluent
Arabic – Intermediate