Peter Clenott

"'Raise your voice!' and 'Speak up!' are familiar refrains that assume, all too easily, that all who speak do so for themselves, and that doing so will lead to empowerment, healing, and reconciliation. Marlene Schäfers's Voices that Matter reveals where such assumptions fall short, demonstrating that "raising one's voice" is, in some contexts, an endeavor full of anxieties, struggles, and discontents. In its attention to the voice as form, this book examines not only what voices say, but also how they do so. By focusing on the social labor that voices carry out as they travel, vibrate, and produce sound, Schäfers shows that where new vocal practices arise, they can produce new selves and practices of social relations. Few examples bring this into relief as effectively as the Kurdish context. Written texts have existed mostly on the margins of Kurdish popular culture, whereas oral genres have a long, rich legacy. As Kurdish voices gain increasing moral and political value as metaphors of empowerment, representation, and resistance, these genres are rapidly changing. As she traces the transformations in how Kurdish women relate to and employ their voices, Schäfers illustrates that "gaining voice" is no straightforward path to liberation, especially when one's voice can be selectively appropriated in empty displays of pluralist representation"--