Introduction: somatic voice studies

This introductory chapter aims at outlining the identity and subject of the volume as well as the significance of the discussed research for the fields of voice and somatic studies. It draws attention to the somatic field as an area of voice research that can contribute to further advancements in understanding embodied aspects of voice through diversity and the transdisciplinary nature of vocal praxis. Thus, somatic voice studies are discussed as an outcome of current interactions between somatic discourses, critical voice studies and praxical methodologies. The chapter situates the research presented in the collection within a broader context of “somatic turns” and vocal “in-betweenness” and proposes various ways the project foregrounds vocal and praxical methodological polyphony. It also maps out the transdisciplinary, polyvocal and praxical identity of this book offering the reader a schematic representation of the project and the research area of somatic voice studies.