Listening as Peace: Exploring Refugee Narratives, Silence, and the Politics of Voice

I am pleased to share my article, “Listening as Peace: Exploring Refugee Narratives, Silence, and the Politics of Voice.” At a time when women and girls continue to courageously demand dignity, equality and fundamental human rights, this work reminds us that peace also begins with whose voices we choose to hear. Drawing on the life stories of Kurdish refugees, my research explores voice, silence, displacement and belonging. It asks us to recognise that speaking can be an act of resistance, while silence can carry experiences of trauma, protection and injustice that words cannot always express. I stand in solidarity with Kurdistan and Iranian women and girls, and with all those peacefully advocating for their fundamental human rights. As a researcher, I believe scholarship must not only produce knowledge. It must also create space for voices that have historically been marginalised, silenced or unheard.