Sound Presences in a Politics of Silencing: Case Studies of Women and Voice in Iran
Sound Presences in a Politics of Silencing: Case Studies of Women and Voice in Iran
Payam Yousefi is an Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Florida specializing in the intersections of music and politics in the Middle East and the US. His book project, titled Subversive Sounds: Music and Authoritarianism in Modern Iran, tells multiple stories of how Iranian musicians’ have transcended authoritarian controls over the past 19 years.
Yousefi explores how musicians’ ethically framed practices, not only mediate social movements, but also imagine and enact new socio-political futures. futures. Yousefi is also a master improviser, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist of traditional Persian music. Most recently, Yousefi’s improvisatory prowess on the kamancheh (Persian fiddle) is featured on his solo album Songs of Hope, which was awarded a “Global Music Award” in the instrumental category.
In the talk portion of this event, Yousefi discusses how women’s consistent presence in Iranian musical arenas has changed the standards of permissibility. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, female vocalists in Iran have been banned from singing solo in public under the assumption that the musical feminine voice will corrupt society. Despite this repressive context, silence has never been the case and women have sustained their careers through a myriad of subversive strategies. In the performance portion, Yousefi presents Narration Spaces, an ongoing musical exploration rooted in the dastgāh/maqām tradition that draws on classical Persian poetry to offer commentary on current issues.