The talk will survey the social history of female professional musicians in Iran. Throughout Iranian history, women have played an important role in the arts, and in particular music and poetry. Many achieved remarkable skills and sophistication, despite challenges by conservative attitudes. Female musicians were the favorite entertainers in the courts for over two millennia. With the modernization in the twentieth century, female singers were at the forefront of musical life in Iran. The 1979 revolution in Iran, which established the Islamic Republic, brought about major political, social, and cultural changes. The return of shari’a and the Islamic codes again changed the situation of women in general and female musicians in particular. In this talk I intended to inquire how female musicians in contemporary Iran negotiates their role as a musician in a country where women are not permitted to sing as soloists or to dance before an audience that includes men.

Ameneh Youssefzadeh Ph.D. (1997), Nanterre University in ethnomusicology, is co- consulting editor of music at Encyclopedia Iranica (New York). Her publications include several articles, book chapters, CDs, and a monograph, Les bardes du Khorassan iranien: le bakhshi et son repertoire (Paris, Peeters, 2002).

Link: https://kug-ac-at.zoom.us/j/97423678768?pwd=SGVsank5eUNRSVF0aG5SV1hkWVlGQT09
Meeting ID: 974 2367 8768
Kennwort: 379585