64th LISBON World Congress on Film studies, Sexuality and Eroticism: LFSSE-26
Call for papers/Topics
Full Articles/ Reviews/ Shorts Papers/ Abstracts are welcomed in the following research fields:
1. Theoretical Frameworks (The “How” of Analysis)
These subtopics provide the academic tools used to “read” sexuality and eroticism in a film.
The Cinematic Gaze
The Male Gaze (Mulvey): The objectification of the female body for the pleasure of a presumed male spectator.
The Female Gaze: Subjective female desire and the subversion of traditional power dynamics.
The Oppositional Gaze (hooks): How race intersects with the gaze, specifically regarding Black spectatorship.
The Queer Gaze: Non-heteronormative ways of looking and being looked at.
Psychoanalytic Film Theory
Voyeurism & Scopophilia: The pleasure derived from looking at others as objects.
Fetishism: The use of specific body parts or objects (shoes, hair, leather) to represent erotic desire.
The Unconscious: How repressed desires are manifested in dream-like film sequences.
Queer Theory & Trans Studies
Heteronormativity: How cinema reinforces “straightness” as the natural default.
Gender Performativity (Butler): How characters “act out” gender through costume and behavior.
Trans Cinema: Representation of non-binary and transgender identities beyond medical or “tragic” tropes.
2. Historical & Industrial Contexts
These topics examine how laws, technology, and social movements shaped what could be shown on screen.
Censorship & Regulation
The Hays Code (1930–1968): The “Production Code” that banned “lustful kissing” and “sexual perversion” (homosexuality).
Pre-Code Cinema: The era of “vamps” and explicit themes before strict moral enforcement.
Rating Systems: The evolution of the X, NC-17, and R ratings and their impact on a film’s commercial success.
Industry Innovations
The Rise of the Intimacy Coordinator: The modern role of ensuring consent and safety during sex scenes.
Porn Studies: The academic study of the adult film industry as a parallel to mainstream cinema.
Body Doubles: The ethics and aesthetics of replacing actors for nude or erotic sequences.
3. Genre-Specific Eroticism
Eroticism functions differently depending on the “rules” of the film’s genre.
The Erotic Thriller: Power play, betrayal, and “Femme Fatales” (e.g., Basic Instinct).
Body Horror: The intersection of “The Abject” and eroticism; sex as a site of mutation or fear (e.g., the films of David Cronenberg).
Coming-of-Age Cinema: Themes of sexual awakening, puberty, and the discovery of identity.
Art-House & Auteur Eroticism: Explicit “unsimulated” sex used as a philosophical or aesthetic statement (e.g., Catherine Breillat, Gaspar Noé).
The Musical: Sexuality expressed through choreography, costume, and rhythmic “tension and release.”
4. Interrelated Socio-Cultural Themes
These topics explore how sexuality in film is never “just about sex” but is tied to broader social hierarchies.
Intersectionality
Race & Hypersexualization: The historical stereotyping of Black, Latino, and Asian bodies in Western cinema.
Class & Eroticism: The “forbidden” romance between different social strata (the “Lady and the Stable Boy” trope).
Power & Consent
The “Me Too” Era Impact: How modern films re-evaluate historical “romantic” scenes as coercive.
BDSM & Kink in Cinema: The representation of sub-cultures and the “negotiation” of pain and pleasure.
Technology & The Future
Techno-Eroticism: Sexual relationships between humans and AI or robots (e.g., Her, Ex Machina).
Digital Nudity: The use of CGI to create erotic images and the ethical concerns of “Deepfakes.”