Call for papers/Topics

Full Articles/ Reviews/ Shorts Papers/ Abstracts are welcomed in the following research fields:

1. Theoretical Frameworks & Spectatorship

This area focuses on how the audience views the film and how the camera "looks" at the body.

• The Male Gaze and Feminist Film Theory: * Laura Mulvey’s "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema."

  • Objectification and the "to-be-looked-at-ness" of the female form.

• The Female Gaze: * Subverting traditional power dynamics.

  • Female desire and agency in contemporary cinema.

• Queer Theory & Spectatorship: * The "Queer Gaze" and reading against the grain.

  • Subtext and "coding" in Classical Hollywood.

• The Oppositional Gaze: * Race, sexuality, and the intersectional experience of the viewer (bell hooks).

• Psychoanalysis in Film: * Freudian and Lacanian perspectives on voyeurism, fetishism, and scopophilia.

2. History, Censorship, and Industry Standards

How institutional rules have shaped the depiction of eroticism over time.

• The Pre-Code Era (1930–1934): * Early depictions of promiscuity, "fallen women," and suggestive themes.

• The Hays Code (Motion Picture Production Code): * The era of "suggested" eroticism and symbolic metaphors.

  • Bans on "sexual perversion" (homosexuality) and interracial romance.

• The Breakdown of the Code and the Rating System: * The rise of the "X" and "NC-17" ratings.

  • The 1960s/70s sexual revolution in cinema.

• The Rise of Intimacy Coordinators: * Contemporary industry standards for safety and consent on set.

3. Genres of Eroticism

Specific categories that utilize sexuality as a primary narrative driver.

• The Erotic Thriller: * The "Femme Fatale" archetype.

  • The intersection of sex, danger, and noir aesthetics (e.g., Basic Instinct, Body Heat).

• The Sexploitation Film: * Grindhouse cinema and the commercialization of the "taboo."

• New Queer Cinema: * Independent film movements of the 1990s focusing on non-normative identities.

• Body Horror: * Sexuality linked to biological dread, mutation, and the "monstrous-feminine."

• Adult Cinema vs. Arthouse Erotica: * The thin line between pornography and high-art eroticism (e.g., films by Catherine Breillat or Gaspar Noé).

4. Representations of Identity and Orientation

How specific sexualities are constructed and portrayed on screen.

• Masculinity and the Eroticized Male Body: * The "beefcake" era and the evolution of the male pin-up.

  • Fragile masculinity vs. hyper-masculinity.

• Lesbian and Bisexual Visibility: * From the "predatory lesbian" trope to authentic romance.

• Transgender and Non-Binary Eroticism: * Moving beyond the "medicalized" or "tragic" lens.

• BDSM and Kink in Narrative Cinema: * Power dynamics, fetishism, and the mainstreaming of alternative sexualities.

5. Aesthetics and Formal Elements

The technical "language" used to convey desire.

• The Haptic Visual: * Cinematography that evokes the sense of touch (textures, close-ups of skin).

• Lighting and Shadow: * Chiaroscuro in erotic noir vs. the clinical high-key lighting of modern erotica.

• Soundscapes of Desire: * The role of non-diegetic music and diegetic sound (breathing, silence) in building tension.

• Editing and Pacing: * Montage techniques used to convey climax or psychological longing.

6. Cultural and Global Perspectives

How different cultures approach sexuality through film.

• European Art Cinema: * The "uninhibited" reputation of French, Italian, and Scandinavian cinema.

• Asian Cinema and Sexuality: * The aesthetics of suppression vs. the "Pink Film" (Pinku eiga) in Japan.

• Post-Colonial Sexuality: * Hyper-sexualization of the "other" and the reclamation of the erotic by Global South filmmakers.