Her Veiled Voice, an Examination of Women’s Vocal Presence in Postrevolutionary Iranian Cinema

The dissertation examines the vocal presence of women in postrevolutionary Iranian Cinema. It argues the construction of the Muslim male subject and its relationship with the phallus, as well as the resulting disempowerment of women in Iranian cinematic language. The dissertation explores the concept of the veiled voice, which conceals the bodily aspects of the voice and suppresses its discursive elements. It delves into the veiling of women’s voices in New Iranian Cinema, how they relate to authoritative voices, and their limitations in cinematic spaces. It addresses the detachment of women’s voices from their bodies in some films, often as a feminist strategy to bypass constraints on female portrayal. The work aims to reveal moments of power, desire, and transgression while critiquing normative cinematic structures that veil and limit female agency. It explores the portrayal of women’s voices, emphasizing how their spatial representation affects power dynamics. The dissertation dissects how these voices are often marginalized within the cinematic space, either structurally, narratively, or due to patriarchal adherence. It also discusses the concept of the acousmatic voice, particularly in the context of Iranian cinema, where the female voice-off is used as a spatial veil, contributing to the marginalization of women. The dissertation further investigates the unveiling of the female voice as a subject of aesthetic admiration and desire within the cinematic realm, navigating censorship through religious and cinematic elements. It explores how cinematic spaces manipulate the presence and embodiment of the unveiled voice to avoid revealing its true source. Moreover, it examines films made by women challenging the male-centric focus of cinema by presenting acts of gender passing and resistance to restrictive gender roles.