Pardis Mahdavi

Pardis Mahdavi (center) gathers with other family members based in the US.

The tiny but mighty hyphen: Does it unite or divide?

Language

Some Americans, like Pardis Mahdavi, feel caught between two worlds. Her parents immigrated to the US from Iran, and she’s never really felt completely at home in either country. So now, she’s adopted a hyphenated identity.

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