Siren Song: Understanding Pakistan Through Its Women Singers

by Fawzia Afzal-Khan

Fawzia Afzal-Khan's book is an important and timely feminist intervention in the study of classical music and a cogent challenge to the prevailing antisecular orthodoxy in the academy. In this complex and sensitive study...of the careers of artistes like Malka Pukhraj, Roshanara Begum, Reshma, and of the newer music and musical space offered by Coke Studio , Afzal-Khan shows us the multiple ways in which women performers negotiated and continue to negotiate their way through the numerous challenges thrown their way in the wake of the partitioning of the subcontinent and the multiple demands placed on them.

Genres: Music

252 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2020

Reviews

[Zarish Fatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

#bookreview #feminism
So I picked up this book because the name was beautiful. These Oxford books come wrapped up in plastic so I really didn't know how it was written.
It's written as thesis. The writers uses alot of theories and and philosophies of western writers regarding feminism and gender studies and sociology. So quiet a bit of this book went over my head. She uses English terms that I have to Google and no way I can tell their meaning by the context of sentences.
The idea of the book is to focus on few major female singers of Pakistan belonging to three different generations and one belonging to international diaspora of Pakistan.
She analyses how these singers gained fame and survived in a society obsessed with forsaking anything that had tint of Unpartitioned subcontinent and Music being on the forefront of the United culture. There are few interesting revelations like that change of perception of music and musicians didn't only happen in Pakistan but it also happened in India. Certain changes that took place in attitudes of pakistani society about music were in direct result of the changes taking place in India.
The eventual Islamisation of Pakistan in Zia's era it's effect on music and musicians. Oddly enough in that era alot of new bands formed, the 80s and 90s were very active in music scene but as writer isn't focusing on male singers that was mentioned in book.
The writers explores the effects of Islamisation on musicians and their careers. Also behaviour of our singers and actresses and their conformation to the conservative and misogynistic culture is explained. Which I found enlightening.
It's not a particularly long book. It closes off with interviews of multiple known Pakistani female singers.
The interviews were taken in 2011, so it would have been really interesting to know how they feel after the advent of widespread Internet trolling that takes place now days. Especially after the fame that feminism and feminist thought has garnered in Pakistan.
I would recommend this book if you can tolerate purely academic writings. Or are a student of humanities and quiet well acquainted with theories and philosophers. Because I enjoy feminist literature I read the book. But it did frustrate me and made me want to read something written for masses who do not wish to read all the references given in the index.

[mio · Rating 5 out of 5]

super thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a singer who is a woman in pakistan. this book contextualises struggles through class, regional identity, politics, nationalistic pressures, etc. made me realise the huge gap in knowledge my peers and i have about south asian music, and the many genres and personalities we omit when we classify an artist or a piece as pakistani. as an ethnomusicological work it was so insightful and imbued of course with academic study, but far more crucially with the personal lives and navigations of the individuals it documents. the interview section at the end was especially interesting, and provided so much insight into commonalities and differences. i really respect that musicians imagine themselves in a space without borders or the assertion of orthodox religion. in this way this text is affirming of the many tolerant viewpoints that persist in this country despite everything. i also look forward to watching the documentary piece the author made with her research, and hope to discover more texts like this.

[Kabir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent work of ethnomusicology