After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the ban on female solo singing in Iran became a form of political violence against women artists as an effort to shape a new national-religious identity for Iranian society. It not only restricts women’s artistic expression but also sends a clear message that women’s voices should not be publicly heard, reinforcing gender inequality and male dominance in Iranian music. As a form of symbolic and hidden violence, this policy has had deep psychological and social consequences, including the suppression of artistic identity and repeated experiences of marginalization and trauma. Although feminist ethnomusicologists have discussed the general impact of this ban, fewer studies frame it through trauma studies, particularly within the wartime context of the 1980s. This project addresses that gap by examining how female musicians responded to these structural injustices and political violence, focusing on the social consequences of their decisions to emigrate or remain.

Under these conditions, female solo singing itself becomes a form of resistance. Over more than four decades of restriction, women have developed various strategies to maintain their presence in music production. With the expansion of the internet and social media, new platforms have allowed women to amplify their voices collectively, contributing to recent social changes, especially the women-led movement “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Overall, this research explores the relationship between gendered sound and political power, highlighting how artistic resistance challenges political restriction and also serves as a vehicle for trauma recovery.