The Body Remembers

Abstract

Much has been written on the traumatic effects of suffering and structural violence, as well as the adverse impact of social policies on marginalized communities. Anthropological contribution to this literature concerns the act of witnessing as opposed to mere observation. Witnessing, I argue in this article, makes it necessary for us to listen to the language of silence as expressed through the performative act: “the body remembers.” I explore three avenues to illustrate how silence, the marker of human agency, may be recognized as language: (a) retrieval of voice of the sufferer, a first step toward healing; (b) testimonial speaking, where one voice represents a polyphony of other voices; and (c) deployment of the body as a mode of communication. To elucidate these points I draw upon the migratory tale of an aging Iranian woman.

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