Sound and music have long been recognised for their capacity to nurture social bonds and forge communal ties. While recent scholarship in ethnomusicology and sound studies has deepened understandings of how sound mediates sociality—particularly in relation to non-human species and environments—less attention has been given to the ways sonic practices shape relationships with immaterial beings such as gods, saints, and spirits. These relationships lie at the heart of many non-secular traditions and ontological perspectives. Grounded in longterm ethnographic research in Eastern Turkey and transnational Shiʿi networks across Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Germany, this talk highlights the affective, material, and political dimensions of Shiʿi sonic practices, revealing the profound significance of sound in devotional and communal life. It explores how vocal recitation—particularly in the form of laments and praise poetry—cultivates relationships between the seen and unseen, shaping religious subjectivities and reinforcing communal belonging.

Speaker's Info:

Stefan Williamson Fa is a Research Associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge. His research examines the intersection of sound, music and the senses, and Islam across Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, and Europe. He completed his PhD in Social Anthropology at University College London in 2019 and has held research positions at the University of Birmingham, Lund University, and the University of Oxford. Stefan’s first major ethnographic project listened to the role of sound in Twelver Shi‘i Muslim devotional practices and everyday life in Turkey and the Caucasus. His findings have been featured in leading academic journals and his forthcoming monograph, Sonic Relations, will be published in 2026 with Indiana University Press. Beyond his academic research, Stefan is also a music producer and ethnographic filmmaker. He has collaborated with musicians from the Caucasus, South and Southwest Asia, producing over ten albums and directing two ethnographic films.