In August 2024, Mossavar-Rahmani Center research scholars joined the Association for Iranian Studies in Mexico City for the association's Fourteenth Biennial Iranian Studies Conference.

At the conference, the Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Book Award winner was announced by Associate Research Scholar Maral Sahebjame. 

The 2024 Book Award was given to Pamela Karimi for her book Alternative Iran: Contemporary Art and Critical Spatial Practice.

As Sahebjame said in her speech, Karimi's book “demonstrates that the relationship between the progressive art community and the conservative state is one of tentative coalition rather than uncompromising resistance.”

The Mossavar-Rahmani Center is focused on supporting interdisciplinary work, and Karimi's thoughtful scholarship wove many complex topics together expertly, earning her the 2024 Book Award. Alternative Iran's look into art, government, activism and economics--to name a few of the topics covered in this thoughtful work--proved it to be, as Sahebjame noted, “a seminal piece that advances the field of Iranian Studies, art history, and beyond.”