Evolution of sexual taboos in Lebanese post-war films

Abstract

Using Gender Framing and Queer theories, an inductive and qualitative research method; this study looks into the evolution of sexual contents in Lebanese cinema especially in the post-war era, tackling the causes behind this shift resulting in screening of liberalistic rather than conservative contents. It focuses on the history of Lebanese cinema and how the thematic representations changed in time depending on historical, political and economic factors. Focus was on the themes treated in films and on the occurrence of sexual scenes. Results showed that War by itself was a transitional phase in the Lebanese cinema, yet other social movements calling for freedom and openness played role in accelerating this shift.